The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on August 31, 2010, 11:48:15 AM
-
Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers?
By John Cloud Monday, Aug. 30, 2010
One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.
But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren't entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. (See pictures of booze under a microscope.)
Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.
But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life? It's true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes, since drinking can be expensive. And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors — job and child-care worries that might not only keep them from the bottle but also cause stress-related illnesses over long periods. (They also don't get the stress-reducing benefits of a drink or two after work.)
But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables — socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on — the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers. (Watch TIME's Video "Taste Test: Beer With Extra Buzz.")
The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.
These are remarkable statistics. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk. One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health. As I pointed out last year, nondrinkers show greater signs of depression than those who allow themselves to join the party.
The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous: it can impair your memory severely and it can lead to nonlethal falls and other mishaps (like, say, cheating on your spouse in a drunken haze) that can screw up your life. There's also the dependency issue: if you become addicted to alcohol, you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle. (Comment on this story.)
That said, the new study provides the strongest evidence yet that moderate drinking is not only fun but good for you. So make mine a double.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html#ixzz0yCe9WwQV
-
Guess this means I'm screwed. Well, I might as well go get some stogies then
-
Its like the old Johnny Carson monolouge. "If you don't drink smoke or eat fatty foods, you'll outlive those who do by four years. And spend every day of them wondering why you bothered". ;D
FQ13 who figures there is only one way to celebrate. ;)
-
I have some time then... ;D
Must be the "pickling effect" :o
Thanks for making my day, Haz!! ;D
-
This calls for a drink or two...or a half dozen. Thanks Haz for validating my chemical dependencies through a percentage number. Go find a good study on smoking now brother.
-
Men's Magazine did a study several years ago to find the best "sports drink" to replace lost vital substances after heavy excersize.
They included all the leading products aimed at doing that that were available at the time. The had doctors and test instruments to measure fluid, electrolyte, vitamin and mineral replacement effects plus other health benefits.
They included beer in the study and beer won.
Did all the advertised good stuff better than any of the drinks plus it was a muscle relaxant and stress reliever.
Now the news about how alcohol consumption has marked health benefits.
Do we need any further proof that God loves us?
-
Thats one reason I stay away from eating healthy/natural foods - too many people dying of natural causes.
-
Men's Magazine did a study ...They included all the leading products... They included beer in the study and beer won.
Did all the advertised good stuff better than any of the drinks plus it was a muscle relaxant and stress reliever.
Do we need any further proof that God loves us?
24 hours in a day... 24 bottles in a case... Coincidence? I think not!
Just an historical note... Beer started out as a way to store grain that was safe from rats. The Egyptians did it first, then the monks in medieval Europe. The monks really perfected the process, and they worked for The Man Upstairs. Really is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. ;D
-
Thanks Haz! I'm just not so sure about that "Moderation" part...that's a little nebulous. Better to overmedicate than to come up short.
-
Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers?
Because they ran over them on the way home from the bar.......... yuck, yuck, yuck.... :P
Don't forget to tip your waitresses and bartender folks........
I read an article once that said consuming alcohol with or shortly after a meal also helped break down certain 'heart harmful' fats in the digestive tract and prevented them from being absorbed.
Sounds good enough for me....bottoms up!! :D :D
-
Cheers
Gesondheid!
乾杯! [干杯!]
呼乾啦!
Na zdraví!
Skål!
Bottoms up
Down the hatch!
Mud in your eye!
Santé!
Slaynt!
Prost!
στην υγειά σου!
ian Okole Maluna!
(l'chaim) לְחַיִּים!
Skál!
Tos!
Salute!
乾杯
Salud!
Maisha marefu! Afya! Vifijo!
Skål!
(Gezunterheyt) געזונטערהייט!
Oogy wawa!
-
Because they ran over them on the way home from the bar.......... yuck, yuck, yuck.... :P
Don't forget to tip your waitresses and bartender folks........
I read an article once that said consuming alcohol with or shortly after a meal also helped break down certain 'heart harmful' fats in the digestive tract and prevented them from being absorbed.
Sounds good enough for me....bottoms up!! :D :D
Pretty accurate.
-
Cheers
Gesondheid!
乾杯! [干杯!]
呼乾啦!
Na zdraví!
Skål!
Bottoms up
Down the hatch!
Mud in your eye!
Santé!
Slaynt!
Prost!
στην υγειά σου!
ian Okole Maluna!
(l'chaim) לְחַיִּים!
Skál!
Tos!
Salute!
乾杯
Salud!
Maisha marefu! Afya! Vifijo!
Skål!
(Gezunterheyt) געזונטערהייט!
Oogy wawa!
I'll drink to that :D
-
Time for another JD rocks. Thanks Haz. ::)
-
Does this mean deepwater and I are good to go for another 40 years? ::)
Hazcat will outlive us all anyway, he has 4 lives left... ;D
-
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
my shipmates looked at me funny when I jumped up and shuted with joy...... it's better than a pay raise. especially like the piece about 'sport drinks' and beer. remember, don't wait to rehydrate. I work in a HOT engine room and need my sport drinks... ;D (read beer).
well, gotta go work up my thirst. :D
deepwater
-
(http://blogs.ajc.com/mike-luckovich/files/2010/08/mike09012010.jpg)
-
Time for another JD rocks. Thanks Haz. ::)
Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel was born in Sept. 1846. so this month would have been his 164th birthday. A recent company mailing said that the exact date of his birth was uncertain so the celebration will just last all month to be sure it cover it. I like the way they think.
I have seen Sept. 5th listed as his birthday, but what do those guys running encyclopedias know?
So, this month, in honor of Jack, we should drink ourselves healthy by adding as much JD to our menu as possible ;D ;D ;D
-
Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel was born in Sept. 1846. so this month would have been his 164th birthday. A recent company mailing said that the exact date of his birth was uncertain so the celebration will just last all month to be sure it cover it. I like the way they think.
I have see Sept. 5th listed as his birthday, but what do those guys running encyclopedias know?
So, this month, in honor of Jack, we should drink ourselves healthy by adding as much JD to our menu as possible ;D ;D ;D
Funny you should mention Jack. My boss in Chicago flew up here last night to take me to dinner, thank me for the work I'm doing on the projects I'm running for them, and talk over the future plans. Turns out, Brian's a huge Jack fan. So huge in fact, one of the first things he did was whip out his Jack Daniels Squire card that recognizes him for being a Jack drinker, and entitles him to a 1 sqft plot of land. Turns out a bunch of famous people were honored with these too.- Sinatra, Boris Yeltsin, etc.
He did his share last night to honor Jack.
-
Hey, let's all get healthy!! ;D
-
To your health. :)
-
guess I am going my bit to live longer ;D