71–80 of 159 posts
1. The best evidence that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption is the Mendelian randomization (MR) by Holmes et al from 2014 [1]. I believe that the more recent paper making such claims is no better than the usual observational studies. But the MR paper is convincing to me. The risks for mild drinking appear to be low enough that I don't abstain, and I am happy to tell my patients about my thought process.…
Does ASA stand for Alcohol Septal Ablation?
Obviously I can't say anything about my own longevity, but over the past few years my alcohol consumption has decreased to virtually zero and I've never felt better. I was never a big drinker, but I would semi-regularly go out and drink a few pints of beer or have wine with dinner. I never intended to cut down on alcohol, but my lifestyle changed, I stopped going out so much, and the drinking went with it. I would st…
I grew up in a family that didn't drink - and this was always weird/uncomfortable to explain to friends.
I do drink now; but I've noticed over the years that it is becoming much more socially acceptable to not drink ..and people don't think it so strange; "I just don't like it", "religious beliefs", "trying to get healthier". So, yeah, people still ask "why?", but often out of genuine curiosity IMHO.
This is a good thing - frankly, I like to have a drink with friends, but its more about being with the friends - and if they're drinking soda I'm just as happy they're with us.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Does ASA stand for Alcohol Septal Ablation?
In this case, ASA is Aspirin.
Obviously I can't say anything about my own longevity, but over the past few years my alcohol consumption has decreased to virtually zero and I've never felt better. I was never a big drinker, but I would semi-regularly go out and drink a few pints of beer or have wine with dinner. I never intended to cut down on alcohol, but my lifestyle changed, I stopped going out so much, and the drinking went with it. I would st…
Unless you were getting wasted it's quite unusual for a few drinks to make you feel bad. Also, there is more and more a decent selection of But then again, maybe the point of drinking together is it provides some kind of bonding effect, being a shared vice. It makes it harder to lie and shows you value others more than your own health (relatively).
Moreover, nutritional studies of any kind have been infamously bad at giving reliable information. The advice from one decade is almost routinely found in the next to be invalid, or even the opposite of the truth. That's for things like carbohydrates, about which there were few religious injunctions or political polarization. For a topic with as much emotional and political baggage as alcohol, I find it unlikely to be any better. Whatever your decision about alcohol, I think the reliability of the science (pro- or anti-) is just not sufficient to help you make your decision.
Obviously I can't say anything about my own longevity, but over the past few years my alcohol consumption has decreased to virtually zero and I've never felt better. I was never a big drinker, but I would semi-regularly go out and drink a few pints of beer or have wine with dinner. I never intended to cut down on alcohol, but my lifestyle changed, I stopped going out so much, and the drinking went with it. I would st…
Unless you were getting wasted it's quite unusual for a few drinks to make you feel bad. Also, there is more and more a decent selection of But then again, maybe the point of drinking together is it provides some kind of bonding effect, being a shared vice. It makes it harder to lie and shows you value others more than your own health (relatively).
“Approximately 36% of East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans) show characteristic physiological responses to drinking alcohol that includes facial flushing, nausea, headaches and a fast heart rate.”
Earlier quoted context omitted.
People with health problems or mentally ill are more likely not to drink? That seems false. Any sources? I found [1] that suggests comorbidity. [1] https://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://...
People with health problems are told by their doctors to stop drinking alcohol. From TFA: "An analysis from 2007 by an international group of alcohol epidemiologists and addiction researchers, published in Annals of Epidemiology, notes that “as people progress into late middle and old age, their consumption of alcohol declines in tandem with ill health, frailty, dementia, and/or use of medications.” That decline mean…
The article points to adverse health related events that cause abstainment. Clear and good the AoE-article works that out.
I however point out that it's pretty clear within the drinking categories you have effects that go in tandem with other illnesses as well (like self-medicating with alcohol for psychological issues).
So the whole argument they propose should at least be carried out to its full, working both ways. You've got illnesses moving people into abstainment and illnesses moving people into moderate or high alcohol usuage. The only way to control this is to use changes in comorbidity over time as a factor.
TBH the scientists in the underlying article write this down as an issue as well.
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In this case, ASA is Aspirin.
I am surprised that taking a baby aspirin every day may turn out to be harmful. It's been common wisdom for years, and now it may (or may not) be wrong. Like the advice that chocolate and red wine is good for you.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unless you were getting wasted it's quite unusual for a few drinks to make you feel bad. Also, there is more and more a decent selection of But then again, maybe the point of drinking together is it provides some kind of bonding effect, being a shared vice. It makes it harder to lie and shows you value others more than your own health (relatively).
How do you define quite unusual? I’m not East Asian, but I most often get symptoms similar to Alcohol Flush Reaction with even only a single drink. I often find a single beer strong. I’ve never been able to figure out why sometimes I’ll get a headache after a single beer. “Approximately 36% of East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans) show characteristic physiological responses to drinking alcohol that includes fa…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In this case, ASA is Aspirin.
I am surprised that taking a baby aspirin every day may turn out to be harmful. It's been common wisdom for years, and now it may (or may not) be wrong. Like the advice that chocolate and red wine is good for you.