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."

Comments

Re:The health benefit of alcohol

[Anonymous Coward]

is that it helps gets you laid, which is obviously very healthy both as exercise and for your confidence and mental state. Unless you're an idiot and get an std or get pregnant.

If you need alcohol to get laid (especially if that means "get her drunk so she'll let you bang her"), you're pathetic.

Re:LDS faith has taught this for 150 years

[gurps_npc]

True. Question - is that anywhere near near the section that says it is OK to kill non-believer families that try to pass through your territory, kidnap their surviving children, blame it on Indians, and protect the guilty when the US government comes calling.

What, you don't think it's appropriate for me to bring up unrelated points?

You know what, you are right. We should all stop bringing up off-topic facts about the Mormons.

Re:I love you man

[goombah99]

Dude,
    your argument is this:
            Alcohol use is associated with health benefits largely because alcohol users socialize more than non users. The alcohol itself has no positive health effect. We design a study to factor out the portion of alcohols positive correlation with health and assign it all to another variable--- socialization.

My argument was. Stop after the first phase and put on your thinking cap: "Alcohol use is associated with health benefits...".

Now ask yourself: As a holistic physician, would I recommend a public policy that promotes moderate drinking?

Absolutely. We've had a gazillion years of society to to figure out other ways yet this way perpetuates it self. Sure there's religion, or Xbox or other ways to get this job done. In theory Muslims abstain so those societies have other ways. Sure. But Do they have better aggregate health outcomes than societies that do promote healthy drinking? That's the study you need to do.