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“Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

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Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#61

Post by deckiedan »

Tycho wrote: post #50
_m8fo wrote: post #5

I've never drank before, so I'm a terrible person to comment about this: but what exactly is the supposed benefit of drinking? I go to dinner parties, clubs, etc. and it seems that alcohol is everywhere. People mention that its social lubricant, but I just don't get it. I've had great times with groups that don't drink any alcohol: sometimes we just eat great food, play games, etc. I've had similar experiences with m…

Beer has good health benefits. It doesn't have sugar in it, so it's something you can drink without damaging your teeth. It doesn't have caffeine, so it's not going to stop you sleeping (hence why people meet for a coffee during the day and a 'drink' in the evening). Apparently it helps your cholesterol. It also kills germs/bacteria - when I was in India I tried to drink beer every day and I never got sick. In terms…

As a home brewer, I'd dispute "doesn't have sugar in it".

The wort is stuffed with maltose, dextrose before fermentation.

The yeast turns most of the fermentable sugars into alcohol, true, but some are left, and some are required.

The yeast cannot work above a certain level of alcohol (%ABV), so any sugars added above that will not be fermented.

Some styles have added non fermentables (lactose) to add sweetness.

Also in cold weather, a mulled ale is amazing. :-)

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#62

Post by omarchowdhury »

cJ0th wrote: post #57
_m8fo wrote: post #5

I've never drank before, so I'm a terrible person to comment about this: but what exactly is the supposed benefit of drinking? I go to dinner parties, clubs, etc. and it seems that alcohol is everywhere. People mention that its social lubricant, but I just don't get it. I've had great times with groups that don't drink any alcohol: sometimes we just eat great food, play games, etc. I've had similar experiences with m…

> For example, tea Honestly, as a tea lover it baffles me how people can prefer alcohol at parties. A high quality sencha can make you "tea drunk" which is what I prefer over being ordinary drunk. The magical combination of caffeine and l-theanin (and maybe some unknown stuff) can put you in a relaxed, slightly euphoric state with a thirst for action. Oddly enough, at times it can even reduce the power negative feeli…

I am the same exact way. Can you please recommend where to buy the teas you recommend for the stated effects?

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#63

Post by tptacek »

Tycho wrote: post #50
_m8fo wrote: post #5

I've never drank before, so I'm a terrible person to comment about this: but what exactly is the supposed benefit of drinking? I go to dinner parties, clubs, etc. and it seems that alcohol is everywhere. People mention that its social lubricant, but I just don't get it. I've had great times with groups that don't drink any alcohol: sometimes we just eat great food, play games, etc. I've had similar experiences with m…

Beer has good health benefits. It doesn't have sugar in it, so it's something you can drink without damaging your teeth. It doesn't have caffeine, so it's not going to stop you sleeping (hence why people meet for a coffee during the day and a 'drink' in the evening). Apparently it helps your cholesterol. It also kills germs/bacteria - when I was in India I tried to drink beer every day and I never got sick. In terms…

Beer is about as caloric as sugar-sweetened soda and has comparable carbohydrates. It's not health food. :)

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#64

Post by cmdrfred »

loopdoend wrote: post #53
mcrump wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>It's a lot of fun. I quit drinking about 6 months ago and I couldn't feel better. I have a lot of fun with my drinking and non-drinking friends.

There's a huge difference between not drinking because you quit and never having tried it. There is no doubt that you can have fun without drinking. The problem with never trying it is that you close yourself off to a massive part of the Western human experience. It is baked into the culture and is also a huge part of business relations. Being a lifelong teetotaller is in some ways tantamount to being a virgin.

and this my friends is the face of addiction.

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#65

Post by deckiedan »

matwood wrote: post #35
Swizec wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can confirm. Being the only nondrinket at a party sucks. Everyone becomes a strange kind of boring where the stupidest things entertain them and you just can't see it. Happens to me a lot because I don't like wine and beer and it seems that in the US people really really don't like to drink spirits socially. Or even to mix their own cocktails. Sometimes I miss parties with my slavic friends where we go through bottle…

Not sure where you live, but if you head on down to the south nearly everyone has bourbon.

Many many religious people don't do alcohol at all. In the USA, especially the south, many Christians don't drink. In most of Europe most do, "in moderation".

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#67

Post by CuriouslyC »

I believe that acetate is actually at the heart of the health benefits of ethanol. Acetate has been shown to have many health benefits, and pretty much all ethanol is metabolized to acetate before being further broken down. Wine and herbal spirits may have some additional benefits due to compounds in the plants they are produced from.

On the other hand, it seems clear that ethanol itself isn't healthy. Thus, if you want the health benefits, skip the wine and use wine vinegar. Use alcohol for the pleasure it provides.

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#68

Post by parasight »

Well, I know that drinking any alcohol is bad for me personally. Of course this does not apply in general, but even after a single drink I feel a little depressed and anxious the next day. The more I drink the worse I feel and the longer I need to recover.

Stop drinking was the single best thing I did to recover from depression and anxiety.

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#69

Post by CuriouslyC »

afarrell wrote: post #56
isaac_is_goat wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this a given though...? Exercise and eating right will improve outcomes no matter what genetics you have.

The open question is, what constitutes "eating right" and how can one do so cheaply?

The blue zone diets, and to a lesser degree the diets of natural bodybuilders provide a fairly good answer to this question.

Lots of vegetables, lots of legumes, fermented food products, and moderate consumption of animal products with an emphasis on fish. Eat enough so you don't feel weak, but limit consumption to stay fairly lean at the same time.

Re: “Health benefits” of moderate drinking disappear when controlling for wealth

#70

Post by J-dawg »

loopdoend wrote: post #53
mcrump wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>It's a lot of fun. I quit drinking about 6 months ago and I couldn't feel better. I have a lot of fun with my drinking and non-drinking friends.

There's a huge difference between not drinking because you quit and never having tried it. There is no doubt that you can have fun without drinking. The problem with never trying it is that you close yourself off to a massive part of the Western human experience. It is baked into the culture and is also a huge part of business relations. Being a lifelong teetotaller is in some ways tantamount to being a virgin.

I don't know why you've been downvoted. This comment is depressing but it is at least partially true. I wouldn't go as far as the 'virgin' part, but there are definitely people in the UK who view teetotallers with some suspicion.
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