Posted on 07/28/2024 10:04:56 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Probably everyone has heard the conventional wisdom that a glass of wine a day is good for you. The problem is that it's based on flawed scientific research, according to a report.
However, not all studies have painted such a rosy picture—and the new analysis sheds light on why.
In a nutshell, studies linking moderate drinking to health benefits suffer from fundamental design flaws, said Tim Stockwell, Ph.D.
The major issue: Those studies have generally focused on older adults and failed to account for people's lifetime drinking habits. So moderate drinkers were compared with "abstainer" and "occasional drinker" groups that included some older adults who had quit or cut down on drinking because they'd developed any number of health conditions.
"That makes people who continue to drink look much healthier by comparison," Stockwell said.
And, he noted, looks are deceiving.
Stockwell and his colleagues identified 107 published studies. When the researchers combined all the data, it looked like light to moderate drinkers (that is, those who drank between one drink per week and two per day) had a 14% lower risk of dying during the study period compared with abstainers.
Things changed, however, when the investigators did a deeper dive. There were a handful of "higher quality" studies that included people who were relatively young at the outset (younger than 55, on average) and that made sure former and occasional drinkers were not considered "abstainers." In those studies, moderate drinking was not linked to a longer life.
Instead, it was the "lower quality" studies (older participants, no distinction between former drinkers and lifelong abstainers) that did link moderate drinking to greater longevity.
"If you look at the weakest studies," Stockwell said, "that's where you see health benefits."
In reality, he said, moderate drinking likely does not extend people's lives.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Alcohol is a poison, period, and as an intoxicant it’s a cheap high, right up there with glue sniffing. In small doses it makes people think they are smarter and more socially engaging than they really are, and in larger amounts turns people into complete brain damaged a-holes. Western civilization runs on it, and that’s why we are where we are.
I think LIBs and assorted sub-human debris are the main problem...not alcohol consumption.
The lesson here is start drinking when you are older?
Milk Thistle (500 - 1000mg a day) has kept my Doctor amazed when I’m tested for liver enzymes. I’m a moderate to heavy drinker at age 74 with just a little low in AST blood work. My Doctor is not concerned. BTW, Milk Thistle is a prescribed medicine in parts of Europe for liver maintenance and repair. It has been for decades.
“ We should prohibit alcohol.
It is working so well with drugs. 🤡”
Alcohol is the most readily available drug available to mankind
“ Alcohol is a poison, period, and as an intoxicant it’s a cheap high, right up there with glue sniffing”
lol I’ll have to remember that one!
I believe more studies..many more studies.. are needed.
Also, i’m available to be a test subject. As long as it’s not the placebo group.
Busch lite is about 75 cents a can I think. Don’t ask me how I know that
Just turned on my computer. Thanks for my first morning laugh, almost spewed coffee on the screen.
I read a great book, Eat to Beat Disease, by Wm Li, MD. Fairly new book. He considers beer a superstar, for one reason it cleans out your arteries. I hate beer, but shopped around and found Pilsner Urquel, which tastes fine. Instead of red wine, which raises your blood pressure, I drink 4 ounces of beer every night, or half a can. I weigh 112, so that’s plenty. Take a handful of vitamins every day and one prescription drug. At doctor’s office last week, my blood pressure was 111/70.
Apparently beer isn’t killing me.
Hmm, I could use some extra bucks. Maybe I should give up the Captain Morgans rum and switch to glue. Got a brand name in mind? I think Revel long ago changed their chemistry formula to non-intoxicating.
Don’t really care if it extends my life as long as it doesn’t shorten it.
I lived in Napa Valley for a time. Long story. The vintners there “drink” every day. What they really do is taste and spit. Inevitable they pick up some alcohol in their system. Except for lunch and dinner where they might have a full glass of wine. Or two. That’s a lifelong habit. They probably never have a zero BAC.
Here’s some data on the age of death famous winemakers. Perhaps some European genetics going on, but doesn’t seem to have harmed these guys.
Robert Mondavi - 94
Peter Mondavi - 101
Mike Grgich - 100
Warren Winiarski - 95
André Tchelistcheff - 92
To paraphrase a scene from one of WC Field’s movies:
Woman: What would your father say if he knew you were drinking a bottle of liquor every day?
WC Fields: He’d call me a sissy.
Stress is the killer.
I think they’re into acrylic and the like now
“Beware those scientific studies—most are wrong, researcher warns”
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-beware-scientific-studiesmost-wrong.html
“So much for ‘peer review’ — Wiley shuts down 19 science journals and retracts 11,000 gobbledygook papers”
"Moderate"? Got to be kidding...that's a teetotaler where I come from!
The only thing better than a glass half full is a full glass. 😏
Personally, I’m going to enjoy my life while I can. If something truly causes me problems, I’ll scale back or stop. Until then, moderate exercise, moderate drinking. Good food. Praise God.
“In reality, he said, moderate drinking likely does not extend people’s lives.”
That’s because by their definition “moderate” is not really drinking at all! Not even beginning to be enough to reap the benefits!
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