Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
davidroodman.com
Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
1–10 of 77 posts
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#2Every time some statistical "studies" come out I think of which industry is going to benefit from it.
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#3TL;DR: Among light and moderate drinkers as a group, 27 of the 30 factors were correlated with drinking levels, and in the direction that could create a false appearance of moderate drinking leading to better health. For example, as people enter old age, they drink less and become more likely to die. ... In light of these facts, Occam’s Razor argues for a simple theory: the net marginal impact of drinking on health is negative at all levels; and moderate drinking is a marker for relative youth, affluence, and healthy habits rather than a cause of good health.
I guess he's suggesting that the apparent positive correlation between moderate drinking and health is an example of Simpson's paradox [0].
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#4My purely observational take on this: moderate drinking itself is the myth: most people who drink daily do not drink in anything resembling moderate amounts, especially as the years go by.
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#5It's worth noting that even if there's no health benefit to regular moderate drinking, there's no argument made here that there's necessarily harm from regular moderate drinking.
So maybe the takeaway is simply that if you choose to drink moderately, don't pat yourself on the back.
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#6It's worth noting that even if there's no health benefit to regular moderate drinking, there's no argument made here that there's necessarily harm from regular moderate drinking. So maybe the takeaway is simply that if you choose to drink moderately, don't pat yourself on the back.
Actually it is making such an argument: "Occam’s Razor argues for a simple theory: the net marginal impact of drinking on health is negative at all levels"
They don't provide definitive proof, but that is their argument.
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#7My purely observational take on this: moderate drinking itself is the myth: most people who drink daily do not drink in anything resembling moderate amounts, especially as the years go by.
Really? I have plenty of friends who have a glass of wine (or scotch) a night; Are you saying that strikes you as an uncommon phenomenon?
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#8Every time some statistical "studies" come out I think of which industry is going to benefit from it.
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Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#9It's an interesting topic on its own, but I would draw people's attention to the bulletpoint about 'Mendelian randomization': this is an exotic kind of natural experiment which is growing in importance as genetic sequencing becomes more prevalent, and it's worth looking at the papers in more detail just to understand the logic of this design & how it's being applied.
Re: Are the benefits of moderate drinking a myth?
#10My purely observational take on this: moderate drinking itself is the myth: most people who drink daily do not drink in anything resembling moderate amounts, especially as the years go by.
At this point I treat it like an excuse you make for yourself.
I know I went through the following progression: oh crap I"m drinking too much hard liquor so I need to quit => ugh I really need a drink => I guess I'll have some wine, it's good for you right?