Slashdot Mirror
Alcohol's Evaporating Health Benefits
New submitter Heart44 writes: A study in the British Medical Journal shows that consuming alcohol — any volume, any type — does not increase life expectancy. The full academic paper is not paywalled. From its conclusions: "Beneficial associations between low intensity alcohol consumption and all cause mortality may in part be attributable to inappropriate selection of a referent group and weak adjustment for confounders. Selection biases may also play a part." The associated editorial adds, "Firstly, in health as elsewhere, if something looks too good to be true, it should be treated with great caution. Secondly, health professionals should discourage suggestions that even low level alcohol use protects against cardiovascular disease and brings mortality benefits. Thirdly, health advice should come from health authorities, not from the alcohol industry, and, finally, the alcohol industry and its organizations should remove misleading references to health benefits from their information materials."
Consuming alcohol certainly does improve life expectancy. Drinking is the only thing keeping me from killing someone almost every day!
I'm just saying after a year in the control group I'd have been ready to end it all :)
Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
Ok, now I've seen the link to the study, I take back what I said above. Sorry, I've been drinking.
Oh no... it's the future.
After a major health crisis, one doctor told me: "We don't cure people so they can live miserable lives without wine."
Don't mess with The Phone Company. Piss them off and you'll be using two tin cans and a piece of string.
If you're sober and *happy* the morning after drinking; you drank in moderation.
(Or you're Irish.)