Posted on 05/11/2005 7:35:22 PM PDT by agenda_express
No Sense! Daily Drink Does WHAT?
This seems counterintuitive, but researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., have determined that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol may prevent kidney function decline in men, reports HealthDayNews.
Before you run out and celebrate with a six-pack, know this one important fact: Moderation means about one drink a day. (Also, the researchers stressed that no one should take up drinking as way of protecting the kidneys.)
In this study, patient blood samples and questionnaires were collected from more than 11,000 healthy men who are enrolled in the ongoing Physicians' Health Study. Those who drank at least seven alcoholic beverages a week had a 30 percent lower risk of elevated levels of a compound called creatinine in the blood, compared to men who had one or no drinks per week. High blood creatinine levels are a strong indicator of kidney dysfunction, notes HealthDayNews.
While previous research has found that alcohol consumption is beneficial for the cardiovascular system, such research has also shown alcohol has a harmful effect on the kidneys, notes lead study author Dr. Tobias Kurth. "This is the first study to show a consistent reduction in the risk of chronic kidney disease with light to moderate drinking," he told HealthDayNews. "Given the new findings that traditional cardiovascular risk factors are associated with kidney disease, the data is not surprising. This study may be broadening our knowledge of alcohol and disease prevention." The research findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Did you see this?
Cheers!
At least their absurd "study" wasn't used to prop up global warming, abortion, or the hippie lifestyle this time. I think I'll have 9 or 10 beers now.
Every single time a new "study" comes out touting the benefits of moderate drinking, the author feels it necessary to throw in the obligatory disclaimer like this lame one here.
Why doesn't any of these so-called experts have the guts to just come out and say that moderate drinking is good for you. Period. Why do we always have to endure these politically correct disclaimers.
My projected lifespan keeps getting longer and longer!
Proverb 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Did they specify the size of a drink? It's high time somebody provided proper content equivalent of it (say, 2/3 oz=ca. 20ml of pure alcohol).
Does this research test the same individuals during periods of drinking and non-drinking? Maybe those individuals who are prone to kidney disease do not have a taste or craving for alcohol. If a drinker stops drinking, does the level of creatine change or is the level inherited and independent of drinking?
Cause and effect is tricky.
My kidneys are going to be awesome, then.
Good question. Also, can we define "moderation" here? What if I can't have my daily drink for one reason or another? Can I save my daily drinks up for a few weeks and drink "moderately" by having 14 of them all on one day? I mean, that still works out to one a day, right?
Protects against heart disease, reduces weight in women, protects kidneys in men...ethanol appears to be the new vitamin E.
Except that uncontrolled vitamin E consumption doesn't keep physicians busy treating cirrhosis, pancreatitis, ethanol withdrawal, depression, malnutrition, trauma, and problems associated with severe socioeconomic decline.
Not to be a wet towel or anything. Cheers.
I think I'll have another Dos X.
If this is true... I'm fixin' ta join the ranks of the immortals... when's that gatherin' thing again? Problem is... there can be only one. [sigh]
1 Timothy 5:23 "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
So, you'll have a double, then. ;)
It's all about control. Little is good. Lot is bad. None is always safe.
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