Health
Some Background
Alcohol has been used medicinally throughout recorded history; its medicinal properties are mentioned 191 times in the Old and New Testaments. As early as the turn of the century there was evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol was associated with a decrease in the risk of heart attack. And the evidence of health benefits of moderate consumption has continued to grow over time.
The Facts
Moderate drinkers tend to live longer than those who either abstain or drink heavily
Moderate drinkers tend to enjoy better health than do either abstainers or heavy drinkers
Health and Safety
- The alcohol content of the typical bottle of beer, glass of wine, and mixed drink are equivalent.
- People who drink in moderation tend to be healthier and live longer than those who either abstain or abuse alcohol.
- Moderate consumption of alcohol does not appear to contribute to weight gain.
- Distilled spirits (whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila, gin, etc.) contain no carbohydrates, no fats of any kind, and no cholesterol.
- Contrary to a common misperception, alcohol does not destroy brain cells. In fact, the moderate consumption of alcohol is often associated with improved cognitive functioning.
- If you drive after drinking, you can limit the effect of alcohol by eating and by not consuming more than one drink per hour.
- High protein foods such as cheese and peanuts help slow the absorption of alcohol into the body.
- If you don’t wish to drink (or don’t wish to drink more) at a gathering, you can choose a number of beverages that look like alcoholic drinks. They include tomato juice, lemonade, iced tea, water and ice cubes, club soda with orange juice, tonic water with a twist or wedge of lime, and either orange juice or 7-Up with grenadine. Cheers!
- Alleged “cures” for alcoholism have included the so-called “Gold Cure” of Dr. Leslie Keeley, whose secret formula, including a gold salt, was popular from about 1890 into the 1920’s. Grape-Nuts cereal was advertised in its early years as an aid to achieving and maintaining sobriety. Currently, powered cudzu vine root is being touted (and marketed) as a cure.
- The alcohol in drinks of either low alcohol content (below 15%) or high alcohol content (over 30%) tend to be absorbed into the body more slowly.
- Restaurants and bars often provide free non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers.
12. Designated driver and similar programs have contributed to a decrease in drunk driving fatalities of about one-fourth over a period of 10 years.
13. A major use of the very highest proof (“strongest”) alcohol is medicinal.
14. Abstaining from alcohol is a risk factor for heart disease. That is, not drinking increases the chances that a person will suffer heart disease.
15. Many of the health benefits of alcohol consumption are lost if it is not consumed on a regular basis.
16. Beverage alcohol contains no fat or cholesterol of any kind.
17. The French call it “wood mouth,” Germans refer to it as “wailing of the cats,” Italians call it “out of tune,” Norwegians identify it as “carpenters in the head,” Spaniards call it “backlash,” Swedes refer to it as “pain in the hair roots,” and most English speakers call it “hangover.” But by whatever name, it can always be prevented by drinking in moderation.
18. A mixed drink containing carbonated beverage is absorbed into the body more quickly than are straight shots.
19. It is never safe or wise to drink heavily, although it is not nearly so very dangerous as usually portrayed in the media. fatalities are disproportionately found among those who have consumed over 10 drinks in less than two hours. Of course even one such death is one too many and is a needless human tragedy.
20. Beginning to drink early in life does not lead to problems later in life.
21. All 13 minerals necessary for human life can be found in alcohol beverages.
22. The drinking of “healths” is a custom found around the world
Alcohol and Cancer
It is known that heavy alcohol drinking is associated with increased risk of developing cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and that moderate drinking has been associated with a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer. On the other hand, it is also known that moderate drinking is associated with reduced risk of developing thyroid cancer, lymphoma, kidney (renal) cancer, and certain other cancers.
This study conducted a meta-analysis of 18 prospective cohort studies and, based on the nearly 50,000 deaths that occurred over time, found that
- light drinkers, (those who consumed up to about one drink per day), had a 9% reduced risk of dying from any type of cancer than did non-drinkers or occasional drinkers.
- Moderate drinkers, (those who consumed up to about four and one-third drinks per day), had no increased risk of death from cancer
- Heavy drinkers, (those who drank over about four and one-third drinks per day), had an increased risk of dying from cancer.
This study found a significant reduction in all-cancer mortality among light drinkers with no adverse effects on such deaths among moderate drinkers (those consuming up to about four and one-third drinks per day).