Posted on 02/16/2005 9:46:38 PM PST by neverdem
REALLY?
THE FACTS Recent studies have found that a little alcohol may help ward off heart disease and slow dementia. But an old wives' tale suggests another reason to indulge in a drink or two with dinner: preventing food poisoning.
Research over the years appears to confirm this. In 2002, for example, health officials in Spain studied an outbreak of salmonella among people who had been exposed to contaminated potato salad and tuna at a large banquet.
Their findings, which were published in the journal Epidemiology, showed that the rate of sickness was lowest in those who had consumed large amounts of beer, wine or spirits.
Consumers of larger amounts of alcohol also had the lowest levels of sickness documented in earlier studies of large salmonella outbreaks in Spain.
But some studies suggest that a drink may have to be stiff for alcohol's protective effect to kick in.
In a 1992 study, for example, health officials in the United States looked at an oyster-borne outbreak of hepatitis A and found that only drinks with an alcohol concentration of 10 percent or greater prevented or reduced the severity of the sickness.
The effect may have something to do with alcohol's ability to strongly stimulate gastric acid secretions in the stomach, and wine may be particularly effective because grapes have antibacterial properties.
THE BOTTOM LINE Alcohol with a meal can lower the risk of food poisoning.
scitimes@nytimes.com
It must be true. I can attest to the fact that I've never been poisoned when I drink beer or wine with a meal.
It seems the more we learn about alcohol, the more we learn of its health benefits. Is this a wonderful world or what?
Sam Adams Light is great with dinner.
Not suprising. Our bodies are better adapted to process alcohol than they are to process dairy.
Cheers!
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Yes. A lot of pagan religions had wine gods, but I don't think any of them had milk gods.
And salut to you, my friend!!
Me either. Then again, I've been known to forget things that happened after I did a bit of drinking...
Bars are to Spain as slot machines are to Las Vegas. No wonder everyone's healthy here.
Once again, science confirms the Bible.
As much as teetotalling Christians don't like it, Paul advises Timothy to "drink a little wine for the stomach's sake".
In Valhalla, Odin had a goat that gave an endless supply of mead instead of milk. I always thought that was cool...
Maybe, but I don't see any reason to take chances. Avoid food - the stuff'll kill ya. Drink beer.
I'll take a Long-Island Icetea please! Make it a double for me, one after another!
When the Pilgrims came over in 1620,they brought their wine and beer making stills as they didn't drink water in the Old Country - it was so polluted, to drink it was to invite death.
They were happy to learn that the water here was 'sweet' and safe - but they didn't give up their regular rations ;o)
I do know that cider vinegar - about a tablespoon in a juice glass of warm water - will almost always stop the cramping and halt the progress. When eating out, if I don't have wine, I have salad with oil and vinegar.
I had some nasty rubber chicken last Thursday. I had a big road trip to go on Friday morning, so I sent the chicken back after eating roughly 1/3 of it, and killed off all the microbial nasties with a few pints of Guinness.
I woke up fine, and totally believe this article.
FWIW!
Resveratrol (found in red wine), activates sirtuins which have been shown to increase cellular lifespan. Go for red wine. If you want beer, try Gunniess as it has flavanoids which are relatively potent antioxidants.
That certainly wouldn't explain Yushchenko then. Those Ukrainians drink more than they eat!
Back in college I spent one Spring Break in Mazatlan, Mexico. From the moment I got on the train, I spent the trip in an alcoholic haze. My roommate and I polished off a quart of Jose Cuervo a day, mixed into tequila sunrises, and it was usually gone before dinner and followed by an evening of further heavy drinking.
We ate fish tacos from pushcarts on the street, and bean burros bought from old ladies who walked the beach with buckets full of them. We ate in the most appalling dive restaurants in back alleys. We didn't drink the water, but we brushed our teeth in it, which I learned later is just as bad.
Most of the people we went down there with got the "Montezuma's Revenge" shortly after arrival, but not us. We were as happy and healthy as if we were in a Starbucks in Des Moines.
Since then I have made it a point to always keep a little alcohol in my stomach when traveling in the Third World. I can't remember the last time I had so much as a tummy ache.
-ccm
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