Finally, A Reason To Start Drinking Alcohol

[Taggart]

March 7, 2008

Finally, a reason to start drinking alcohol

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who do not drink alcohol may finally have a reason to start -- a study published on Friday shows non-drinkers who begin taking the occasional tipple live longer and are less likely to develop heart disease.

[jumnien]

I believe this study was commissioned by John Barleycorn himself!

[backflip]

This "news" is at least 15 years old.

[Irene]

March 7, 2008

Finally, a reason to start drinking alcohol

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who do not drink alcohol may finally have a reason to start -- a study published on Friday shows non-drinkers who begin taking the occasional tipple live longer and are less likely to develop heart disease.

backflip is correct, this is an old news. I recall having seen a few studies advising people to take a glass of wine or beer a day to keep himself healthier than those teetotalers. That was ten years ago and I have been doing so since. The only thing that may turn out to be bad is the urge you may have to have more when there is a right atmosphere which could cause you to become a binge drinker. I could not believe that wine drinking could cause you to become an alcolholic but I have known of one individual.

However, the latest study is still good because it has been based on stringent research and confirm of what we have been believing right along. Sometimes, I pity those teetotalers for having missed somethings good in life.

[Jingthing]

I am way ahead of this. It was my New Year's Resolution to have a drink everyday. Easiest resolution ever! Cheers.

Edited March 8, 2008 by Jingthing

[Taggart]

I find the study of interest, but certainly not the final say in the matter. For instance this article in The Times says, quote:

"People who preferred other drinks, such as beer or spirits, had an advantage over teetotallers, but not to a significant degree."

I also took notice, that nowhere in the news articles do they mention "red" wine. It seems white may do the same. That surprises me because I was under the impression that red wine was much better for the heart due to it's flavonoid content.

Also from the above article:

"Typically this amounted to two drinks a day for men and one for women."

Now this is different from another recent study, One Drink May Help Heart, But Two Is Too Many

Extra glass negates immediate benefits to circulation, Canadian study says

2/18/08

"Whether it's red wine or another spirit, the heart and blood vessels benefit slightly from one drink, but a second erases the positive effects, say Canadian researchers.

A study, published in the February edition of the American Journal of Physiology, Heart and Circulatory Physiology, also raises more questions about the popular notion that red wine may be more effective against heart disease than other types of alcohol.

"We had anticipated that many of the effects of one ethanol drink would be enhanced by red wine. What was most surprising was how similar the effects were of red wine and ethanol. Any benefits that we found were not specific to red wine," Dr. John Floras, director of cardiology research at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital, said in a prepared statement."