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 ...
me too - 34.
Wow. Same here. 2/25/90.
pigeon...gotcha by 7 days.
The Drunk:”How’s this program work?””
The AA:”It works just fine.’’
how will i find the meeting ?
look for the dented cars in the parking lot.
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