Alcohol and its benefits

[kent]

Oh dear Harun me old mate, back to sweeping statements that are not supported by facts are we? " facts regarding alcohol are hypothetical, no medical journals etc.. mainly extracted from.the internet" and there was i thinking that the Montefiore Medical Centr Albert Einstein College of Madicine was a learned inststution.... I must have got it wrong....

Try this for size.

Alcohol benefits vary by gender, intake

Published: Nov. 3, 2006 at 5:02 PM
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By KRISTYN ECOCHARD
UPI Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Go ahead, have that beer while you watch the game -- but make sure it's just one.

Starting in the 1950s, studies focused primarily on the hazards of alcohol. Then, with the landmark Copenhagen City Heart Study reported in the British Medical Journal in 1995, possible benefits of red wine were revealed. In the last several years research indicates that ethanol, when consumed in moderation, has some health benefits -- regardless of whether it's in the form of beer, wine or liquor.

The 2005 United States Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services dietary guidelines, based on previous research, stated that for men over 45 and women over 55, moderate alcohol intake was associated with low all-cause mortality.

The USDA stressed that the potential benefits of alcohol can be gained in other ways too, like through healthy diet, exercise, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

Alcohol also may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by maintaining "clot-busting" enzymes that promote clot lysis, which breaks down build-up and clots in arteries. This reduces the risk of plaque-related illnesses, Francois Booyse, scientific adviser at the University of Alabama, said at a recent Center for Food, Nutrition and Agricultural Policy conference in Washington.

Researchers found moderate drinkers had a reduction in their risk for diabetes, said Andrea Howard, assistant professor at the Montefiore Medical Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Some studies also showed a reduced risk of ischemic stroke.

Overall nutritional well-being was not negatively impacted by alcohol consumption; a USDA report said moderate daily alcohol intake was unassociated with deficient nutrient intake. In fact, energy and nutrient intake increased with alcohol consumption: People ate the recommended servings from all the food groups.

The USDA healthy eating index also increased with the amount of alcohol, meaning people who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol met, or were closer to meeting, the USDA standards for a healthy diet.

Research about the correlation between obesity and alcohol, however, is inconclusive.

Additional studies, researched by David Baer of the USDA and Charlie Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch endowed professor of brewing science at the University of California, Davis, show other benefits of beer. The benefits of beer were specifically sought since the research and survey were industry-funded.

They say beer is a possible source of calcium, vitamin C, potassium, folates and vitamin B. Beer, especially dark varieties, may also contain an antioxidant called ferulic acid that reduces the risk of certain cancers, they said.

However, all the benefits researchers believe may come from alcohol depend heavily on how much is consumed.

Recently, a CFNAP survey at the University of Maryland, sponsored by the National Beer Wholesalers Association Education Foundation, found that people's perceptions of "moderate" drinking varied by gender, age, income, education and race.

Moderate alcohol intake, as defined by the USDA-HHS guidelines, is equivalent to two drinks or less per day for men, and no more than one drink per day for women. One drink means 12 ounces of regular beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.

When women drink more than seven drinks a week and men drink more than 14, the benefits become dangers. In women, studies have suggested drinking in moderation may be linked to a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer. Also, the more alcohol consumed, the greater the likelihood of addiction and liver-related illness and mortality.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to who should use alcohol for its health benefits and who should abstain, said Arthur Klatsky, senior cardiology consultant and research investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in California.

"(A person should) have a conversation with their healthcare provider to make sure there are no conditions that would contradict the benefits of moderate consumption," said Richard Forshee, deputy director of CFNAP at the University of Maryland. "If you do choose to do so, do it in moderation and follow the USDA-HHS dietary guidelines."

In younger drinkers the risk of traumatic injury increases, and in people of all ages, even moderate drinking impairs judgment and slows response time.

"We're struggling with how to get information out when we recognize there're a lot of groups for whom drinking should not be encouraged," Forshee said.

People who are not of age, those who have had previous addiction problems and people who will be driving or operating certain equipment should not be encouraged, Forshee said.

The USDA-HHS recommends those who are taking medications or are ill and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should also avoid drinking.

"There needs to be more research on risk communication," Forshee said.

He suggested a research program that examines how consumers process and understand risk messages about alcohol. There are many instances where moderate consumption levels get the best benefits, such as seafood, chocolate and other foods and nutrients.

The bottom line, Klatsky said, is to use common sense to weigh the potential for risks and benefits.

"Most middle-aged people, especially men, are probably better off having a drink," Klatsky said, "but for women, the risks are still unresolved and young people aren't at any immediate risk for the health problems alcohol might prevent."
© 2006 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.


As our friend said, Tsk Tsk, moderation.
Try drinking 32 cups + of coffee or even 30 pints of that nice stuff that is so useful for brushing teeth and washing clothes, water. But give me notice and I will bring some flowers to your funeral. :mrgreen:
Come on hit the ball back

[McKee]

I am sorry but this is ridiculous. While I agree with the moderation part, I don't agree with the mentally that tends to think that alcohol is all bad and a destruction to human kind (well that’s how I see it from the previous comments). Not beneficial you say? Well consider this, alcohol sterilize, remember how Noah survived the 40 days 40 nights rain storm? Well if you think it’s only water without food and without any other sources, I must say that is very very contemporary of you.....its wheat, fermented in barrels. Let’s see, what about sugar, one can argue, too much of could kill you horribly. And you don’t really die after consumption of alcoholic beverages in a freak accident unless you don't think before you drink and drive. Get a designated driver. If it is invented today absolutely people would give it a shot and how the hell would you know for certain there ain’t no benefits? I drink and I drink in moderation, still perfectly healthy. May I add, people who are feeling weary and see nothing but bad in alcohol, i question their judgment whether it is insecurities and lack of self control that lead to such argument? What would you say Kent? Oh the research was in a Medical Journal, The British Medical Journal......it is also mentioned in the artical Kent posted.

[kent]

I agree with you McKee, but I mean, what we know? We are condemned as a pair of empty headed, gin sodden, alcohol addled brained boozers who have yet to see the light as propagated by such learned bodies as the Mormon Tabernacle to The Temperance Society of America, to name but two. Never mind any evidence, however meager, to support our views. It will deluged in a flood of puritanical bliss, second hand ideas, dogma and blatant repression. And that’s only if we are lucky…………. "Get out the tar barrel Clay....." Ho Hum, but it’s difficult trying to wheel barrows of light into the darkened caves of troglodytes.:roll: I think I will have a cold beer.................. :mrgreen:

[Harun]

In view of all the so called supporting facts of alcohol benefits, I would still very sceptic about it no matter how strong or how good the arguments are. Just about now my 16 year old brother to read this thread (I forced him to read it :mrgreen: :mrgreen and he found it difficult to understand on why of all this time drinking alcohol or beer alike is forbiden when in fact accordingly it is (in moderation) beneficial to health. I said to him, we have our choices in life...TO BE.... OR NOT TO BE.... 8-)

[McKee]

Oh I may also add, based on the dramatic rate of death on Malaysian Highways that the usage of automobiles are to be banned because it is killing everyone, the drivers, the passengers, and even the pedestrians. That is, if we look at it only from one angle and that my friends, is the problem i have with some of the comments previously posted. We know very well that one can be a good driver, following the rules and all but one can also be a jerk, driving off like a speeding bullet. It's a matter of choice, banning the usage of automobiles based solely on the affects of speed driving or banning alcoholic beverages solely on the actions of a few alcoholic is nothing but irrational.

[kent]

To or not to be what Harun? :?

[Harun]

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
To die: to sleep;No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to,

To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;

[kent]

Yes, I did Shakespear too mate, but to be or not to be in the case of younger brother?
I thought something along the lines of:
"To be or not to be subject to the dictaorial views of an elder sibling.
For is it not better to question, than accept blindly, ay but there's the rub
for he may beat me into submission of his will......................etc :mrgreen:

[martini_lime]

anyone for a bottle of JD coke..?? 8-)

[Denzy]

JD Coke :?: yes for me JD Coke = Just Diet Coke... :lol: :lol: :lol:

[kent]

Contains sorbitol...... Better stick with a light beer :mrgreen:

[jeffw]

Well I couldn't let this post go by without putting in my two pence worth. Coming from the land and state that makes arguably the best wine in the world I have to agree with Kent. A glass or two a day of a nice fruity Cabernet Merlot or Cab sav is definitley a health benefit. My misus and I imbibe most nights with 2 glasses each of the red nectar. And when it is hot I will knock back a beer or two. never done me any harm. I've reached the ripe old age of 58 and still have both kidneys and my liver. By the way what beer do you guys drink on Labuan these days. When I lived there I was too young to partake but I know my old man took advantage of the duty free status and bought Anchor and Carlsberg by the crate every month.
Cheers and bottoms up!

[kent]

58 you say? Still too young by many a persons' view...... :mrgreen:

[philm]

I''ll drink to that.
By the way JeffW now it's mostly the wonderful nectar called "Tiger" that is consumed by the dray load.
Go on you non-drinkers, I can hear you saying "whats a Dray"
Its a cart for transporting LLOP.
(Lorry loads of pleasure) :lol: :lol: 8O