Live data from Hacker News

No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

bloomberg.com

241–250 of 1001 posts

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my favorite examples of this is how coconut oil is advertised all over youtube by thousands of influencers as a superfood that must be a part of a healthy diet. (Especially since it's hardly an oil in my opinion -- it's partially solid at room temperature) There's absolutely no reliable evidence that coconut oil has any beneficial effects on the human body, and I really don't see why anybody would believe that…

Because there is ample evidence that saturated fats are not bad for you, or at least no where near as bad as previous science led us to believe.

I'm not saying you should avoid coconut oil, I just think it's a very questionable claim that cooking with coconut oil instead of other plant based oils like canola oil is going to improve your health in any way.

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#243
post #28

I know of a man who had a shot of 96 percent alcohol (192 proof) every single day and died at the age of 96.

Yes that is an anecdote. We get better info by looking at large groups of people and that is what the recommendation is based on.

Agreed, although a single shot of moonshine is a equivalent to a little over a pint of beer. You can drink that and be well within alcohol consumption guidelines in US. Even most alcohol-naïve people would only be minimally intoxicated from a single shot of moonshine.

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#244

I saved this article from a similar discussion a few years ago, which argues that moderate drinking (but not binge drinking) is healthy in various ways. Does anyone know if it, or the underlying data it refers to, has been refuted? https://psmag.com/social-justice/truth-wont-admit-drinking-h...

This is a correlation fallacy.

The group of moderate drinkers is also the group of the most healthy. That doesn't necessarily mean that moderate drinking is healthy.

Because guess what else correlates with moderate drinking? Affluence.

Guess where poor people fall more in either the "never or hardly" category or the "binge drinking" category. Either you feel like you're too poor to afford to drink and thus do so only rarely. Or you've just completely given up and all your money goes to drinking.

What else correlates with affluence? Overall health outcomes. If you're poor, you also can't really afford to go to the doctor regularly.

So what the study really tells us is what we already know: having a reasonable amount of money is good for you.

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#245
post #14

> The evidence is clear: any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life. No it isn't. The studies change on this constantly. Literally, it is why they are making their policy- because its confusing to people. They also need to conduct a longitudinal study (or more than 1) to prove this... and guess what? They won't do it.

If you see a study that purports to show health benefits of drinking check to see if it distinguishes lifelong teetotalers vs recovering alcoholics. Lifelong teetotalers are much healthier than an alcoholic who's quit drinking, on average. The studies, at least in the US, should also control for wealth.

Bingo. A lot of studies that purport health benefits from drinking are comparing "sick quitters" who drank themselves into health problems to normal people who have the occasional drink and don't bother to control for socioeconomic status

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#246

Of course it isn’t. Drink water. Unfortunately some people believe they can’t enjoy themselves without alcohol. It’s curious: - babies have fun without drinking - kids have fun without drinking - some teens have fun without drinking Then at some point some people, as adults, feel like they have to drink to enjoy themselves? I wonder what happened. Edit: explicitly clarifying that I’m only talking about some people he…

A bit of alcohol makes you feel good, there's no two ways about it. And, for many, it soothes their anxieties - or just loosens them up.

I can have fun without alcohol, no problem. But I can't deny that I like the taste of alcoholic drinks / beverages, and I enjoy the effect.

Same with sugar - I can enjoy a life without candy, but once in a while, I enjoy eating candy.

It's all about moderation.

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#247

Although I live in a place where weed is legal, I don’t use it. I enjoy the occasional glass of a nice scotch, though, and I love a good stout or porter beer. This is where it gets a little strange for me: by every metric I can think of, I’d be better off replacing alcohol with weed. There seem to be fewer negative effects, it’s not a source of empty calories, and looks like a better recreational drug in every way. A…

Personal anecdote but I disagree. I started smoking pot regularly after college and moving to a state where it was legal. It mostly displaced alcohol in my social circle. I thought it was harmless and 'superior' to drinking. I cannot have pot around anymore and was somewhat difficult to finally quit. While the consequences of pot addiction and difficulty in quitting are much lower than that of alcohol; the barrier to forming an addiction is also much lower. Pot undermined my life, mental health, social life, and motivation while using it. It's just too easy to get high, and too easy to tell yourself 'it's only pot, and it's not harmful.' Now I'll drink a couple beers after work some days, or some days I wont. But I don't think about how I want to go home and drink while I'm at work and it doesn't leave me in a groggy anti-social haze for 24 hours after using it. For me, alcohol is a much healthier drug.

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#248

Yes but a moderate amount with good friends is great for my soul.

Indeed, it is always good to know the science but we should balance that against the benefits. I like this quote from David Spiegelhalter[0] "Given the pleasure presumably associated with moderate drinking, claiming there is no 'safe' level does not seem an argument for abstention," he said. "There is no safe level of driving, but the government does not recommend that people avoid driving. "Come to think of it, ther…

I don't see it as a good quote and was puzzled as to its inclusion. It is simply a play on the words 'safe level' and equating it to other things. My best guess is that it's meant to appeal to the "I hear you but wish to continue drinking anyway" thought process, which is fair. This kind of equation is not.

Re: No amount of alcohol is good for the heart, says World Heart Federation

#250
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Smoking is for sure worse than alcohol consumption: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-deaths-by-risk-... Global yearly deaths by smoking: 7.1 million Global yearly deaths by alcohol usage: 2.84 million

The difference is that the average smoker dies at 80, and the average alcoholic dies at 35.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN