Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So the previous advice was that a drink or two a day actually increased lifespan and prevented artherosclerosis and heart attacks. Now this new report contradicts that. No wonder people are confused.. we are constantly subject to confusing and contradictory information from the medical community.
Hold yer horses. That was a CNN journalist's take on a study. There is no link to the actual study. Lets see what that says first.
True, but I think what most of us care about is not how long we live, but how long we can live in a functioning state. We want to avoid, if possible, the disabling chronic diseases.
Agree. However, if some study is not designed or intended to do anything other than demonstrate longevity, it won't necessarily say anything about how long those subjects stayed functional during those years they supposedly gained.
But it's true, medical science can't help much with deciding what to eat or drink. For one thing, as I said before, studies can't consider all the differences between individuals. So alcohol may be good for some and bad for others, depending on whatever.
Yes. Usually the sample sizes are way too small to account for or neutralize all the variation in a population as large as "humans".
True, but I think what most of us care about is not how long we live, but how long we can live in a functioning state. We want to avoid, if possible, the disabling chronic diseases.
Agree. However, if some study is not designed or intended to do anything other than demonstrate longevity, it won't necessarily say anything about how long those subjects stayed functional during those years they supposedly gained.
But it's true, medical science can't help much with deciding what to eat or drink. For one thing, as I said before, studies can't consider all the differences between individuals. So alcohol may be good for some and bad for others, depending on whatever.
Yes. Usually the sample sizes are way too small to account for or neutralize all the variation in a population as large as "humans".
A large sample size won't necessarily help, if everyone is averaged in together. So they might divide the sample into non-drinkers, moderate drinkers, and heavy drinkers. But they might not also divide it into moderate drinkers who exercise vs moderate drinkers who don't exercise, for example.
The study will only look at what the researchers thought to look at.
It is very hard to get clear answers from medical research. Sometimes it does happen though. They did find out conclusively that cigarette smoking is harmful.
Rice contains arsenic
Too many tomatoes and oranges causes acid reflux
Soy inhibits iron absorption
Spinach can cause kidney stones (isn't this what finally did in Popeye?)
What IS a person to do....
LOL, it wasn't the spinach that finally got Popeye but the tops of the cans that he gobbled down right along with the spinach.
This begs the question - is living the very longest you possibly can the main point in life?
We're talking heavy drinkers can decrease their life expectancy by 5 years, and moderate drinkers by one or so.
I'd be inclined to say, so what? Heavy drinking is one thing, and no way to go through life, but moderate social drinking reduces your life by a year?
Ummm . . . is that really a problem we need to focus our entire life on?
Three comments:
1) That's not one drink, it's 365.25 a year.
2) This is self-reported consumption, so people may be under-reporting their alcohol consumption. For some people, one drink is a double or triple whisky.
I've been aware for years of making changes for my health's sake based on studies only to have contrary information come out ten years later. The latest was to take fish oil for your heart which has now been devalued. And I've decided, as have most of you, that I know myself well enough by now to see that moderation in most things seems to serve me well.
But you've been waiting for this, haven't you? Ms. Party Pooper with a word of warning to adult children of alcoholics. This applies particularly if you are male and if the alcoholic in your family was your father. Studies by our National Institute of Health and other agencies that monitor chemical health in the United State warn that your risk, not only to alcoholism but also to other addictions and addictive behaviors, is considerably higher than the average population.
So if you are a young man with an alcoholic father it is wise to proceed with caution regarding the pleasure of a buzz. It's not only a learned behavior but also has a genetic component.
This has been your public service announcement for this evening.
That's the thing with science.... ...
You have to understand that 'each contradictory report' that your read is probably the result of a study that was done. The inputs, parameters, measurement techniques, demographic, method, etc. of that study may differ from that of another report that came up with a different result/conclusion. so, you need to read the fine line, and understand what those parameters were and what the study was measuring for.
And that's why it's not science (knowledge for sure).
Science is repeating the same, same, same, same exercise over and over and over and over again, and getting the same, same, same, same result every single time, to the point where we know it for sure.
Anything less is speculation or an educated guess at best.
Don't we all just love statisticians, every single time?
Good Luck!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
