Evidence Mounting That Moderate Drinking Is Healthful

New York Times ^ | December 30, 2002 | ABIGAIL ZUGER

[Don Carlos]

I must of been an extremely healthy college student

Yep! I was a very healthy single GI back in the early 60's. Then I got married, and well, shoot, look at me now.

[riri]

I've just discovered Merlot. I have actually tasted it before but didn't care for it. Over Thanksgiving, I had a few glasses and I loved it. I gives you a nice warm buzz and (this is key) no headache. Now, I am hooked.

[Uncle Miltie]

Hard to measure the "value" of mental health. You're nuts or not, and that can be somewhat or very harmful. There are not social "utils" that can be counted up for such an analysis. Only feelings about relative levels of varying outcomes.

That's why death is a useful measure. It is absolutely measurable and provable.

Cheers!

[HumanaeVitae]

I'm a Sterling addict, um, afficionado I mean. Sterling Vineyards. Pricey ($20 for 750ml) but it's a can't-miss special occasion wine.

[GovernmentShrinker]

All the research I've seen indicates that the benefits of alcohol are limited to serving as a partial antidote for other common unhealthy lifestyle choices. Better to skip the unhealthy lifestyle choices AND the alcohol.

[BeerSwillr]

I'll drink to that!

[riri]

I'll have to try it. I just cracked open a bottle of Lindemans. Someone gave me a case of wine 5 years ago that I never even really looked at. So, this wine has been in storage, god knows under what conditions (I live in Phoenix, I am sure it must have reached close to boiling at some point!) and it tastes great, I was pretty shocked.

[Pharmboy]

Since I started my regimen of one beer and two shots (Glenlivet) per evening, my HDL-cholesterol went from 37 to 59 (that's very good; the higher the HDL the better).

[carenot]

But heavy drinking can bring on dementia with a vengeance.

Yes, but there is nothing wrong with that.

[FreedomPoster]

Beer is one of God's messages that He loves us and wants us to be happy.

[aristeides]

Did that study distinguish between drivers and non-drivers? I suspect that, if you exclude drivers, the risk of death does not increase with three or four or five drinks a day. Michael Savage last night said the British Medical Association defines moderate drinking as up to five drinks a day.

[error99]

WARNING

The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra.

The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like an idiot.

The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.

The consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them at four in the morning.

The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

The consumption of alcohol may make you think you have mystical Kung Fu powers, resulting in you getting your ass kicked.

The consumption of alcohol may cause you to roll over in the morning and see something really scary.

The consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of inexplicable rug burns on the forehead/knees.

The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

The consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe you are invisible.

The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.

The consumption of alcohol may cause a disturbance in the time-space continuum, whereby gaps of time may seem to disappear.

[crystalk]

Why has no one yet mentioned the obvious, that wine is served in Monasteries with nearly every meal...

Not only healthful, but prevents closet Muslims from sneaking in among them. The fact alcohol ticks off the Muslims is a good reason to use it right there.

[Uncle Miltie]

The study included every sort of death, including that of death while driving drunk. The ameliorative effects of two glasses a day on the heart overcome the relatively low incidence of drunk driving deaths at that level.

Interestingly, death increases at four drinks per day, compared to the tea-totaller. So, 1-3 per day leads to longer life, and two is optimal.

Ceteris paribus; If you're liver damaged by hepatitis already, not drinking is probably a good idea.

[aristeides]

Family history also matters. My family has suffered far more from heart disease (prevented by alcohol) than from cancer (promoted by alcohol).

If you look at the incidences, I think you will find that circulatory disorders are far more common than liver disorders, and are thus a much more significant consideration in deciding what to do.

[aruanan]

The cardiac benefits of low-dose alcohol are evident in study after study. All over the world, moderate drinkers have healthier hearts than teetotalers, with fewer heart attacks from fatty plaque clogging the heart's arteries and blocking blood flow.

Ha ha ha. Well, maybe I'll have a shot of brandy in my morning coffee.

"And wine that maketh glad the heart of man...." Psalm 104:15

[RGSpincich]

What a riot! Wife and kids are being woke up by insane laughter coming from Dad's office.

[error99]

it can be hard to explain to family why FR can make me laugh to tears - i generally just get dumb looks when trying to explain it - this is especially true for the vey series moose cheese shower threads . . .

[b4its2late]

Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb."

[b4its2late]

I must of been an extremely healthy college student.

A herd of buffalo can move only as fast as the slowest buffalo, and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular culling of the weakest members.

In much the same way the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we all know, kills brain cells, but naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.