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Update on the "Glass of Wine is Good for You" Thing...


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Posted

Here:

Quote

Daily Glass of Wine Is Bad for You, Heart Federation Says in New Policy

“The evidence is clear: any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life,” it said.

Press Association
January 20, 2022, 6:00 AM MST
 

Any level of drinking can lead to loss of healthy life, the World Heart Federation has said, as it sought to dispel the idea that a daily glass of wine may be good for you.

In a new policy briefing, the organisation said it wanted to "challenge the widespread notion" that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can decrease the risk of heart disease and called for urgent action to tackle the global rise in deaths caused by drinking.

I agree that this notion is "widespread," so much so that I think I - a teetotaler - had subconsciously bought into it.

Quote

Monika Arora , member of WHF's advocacy committee and co-author of the briefing, said: "The portrayal of alcohol as necessary for a vibrant social life has diverted attention from the harms of alcohol use, as have the frequent and widely publicised claims that moderate drinking, such as a glass of red wine a day, can offer protection against cardiovascular disease.

Living in Utah County, and being surrounded mostly by family and friends who are - like me - teetotalers, it has been a while since I have personally observed the alcohol-as-social-lubricant thing.  It was most acutely obvious to me when I was in the Army.  A fair number of my friends seemed more or less incapable of enjoying themselves in an informal social setting without alcohol as a part of it.  And this often led to contests, party tricks, etc. that involved even more alcohol consumption.

Quote

"These claims are at best misinformed and at worst an attempt by the alcohol industry to mislead the public about the danger of their product."

Huh.  I hadn't really thought of these claims as possibly deriving from "the alcohol industry."  I'd like to see if there is evidence of that.

Quote

It comes after the Royal College of Psychiatrists warned earlier this week that millions of Britons are causing themselves "silent harm" through hazardous drinking.

New data from the Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows millions of people in England are downing bottles of wine, beers and spirits that are harmful to their health, with a big jump in the numbers drinking at levels considered to be high risk.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Professor Julia Sinclair , chair of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists , said the switch to drinking at home was partly to blame for the rise, with drinking sessions sometimes lasting several hours longer than they would in a pub.

I wonder when this "switch" happened.  Are they referencing Covid?  Or did this switch happen much earlier?

Quote

According to the new briefing from the World Heart Federation , more than 2.4 million people died worldwide because of alcohol in 2019.

This is equivalent to 4.3% of all deaths globally and 12.6% of deaths in men aged 15 to 49, it said.

Wow.  

That said, according to WHO "at least 2.8 million people {are} dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese."  We Latter-day Saints have a pretty big beam in our own eye.

Quote

The federation, which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), said alcohol is a "psychoactive and harmful substance that can cause significant damage to the human body".

It said that drinking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, digestive diseases and injury. "The evidence is clear: any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life," it said.

"Studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol can increase a person's risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary disease, stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), and aneurysm.

"Studies that claim otherwise are based on purely observational research, which fails to account for other factors, such as pre-existing conditions and a history of alcoholism in those considered to be 'abstinent'.

"Any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life."

"Any."

Three cheers for teetotaling!

Quote

"To date, no reliable correlation has been found between moderate alcohol consumption and a lower risk of heart disease."

Huh.  Time to relegate this one to the "Urban Legend" dustbin, I guess.

Quote

Matt Lambert , chief executive of the Portman Group , which receives funding from the drinks industry and has firms signed up to its code of practice, said: "It is important not to exaggerate the risk of moderate drinking and unduly alarm responsible consumers who are more than able to make informed decisions and enjoy alcohol sensibly if they chose to do so.

"Responsible drinking forms part of a balanced lifestyle for the moderate majority, the four in five adults drinking within the chief medical officer's 14 unit a week low-risk guidelines or not drinking at all.

"We continue to review the studies with interest, and there is a body of evidence suggesting a low level of risk for low-to-moderate drinkers.

"However, we recognise that everyone's circumstances are different and for some people there is no safe level of drinking, we therefore encourage consumers to take a sensible and measured approach to risk.

I think this is the only feasible approach to take.  We can't ban alcohol, as we've seen how that goes.  We can impose some constraints (not driving while intoxicated, etc.), but otherwise we can only present data and then let individuals choose for themselves.

That said, I think there is much to be said for teetotaling.  

Thoughts?

Thanks,

-Smac

Posted
15 minutes ago, smac97 said:

.......................

That said, I think there is much to be said for teetotaling.  .......................

Since Latter-day Saints don't generally drink tea, the teatotaling thing is not necessarily applicable -- though I understand what you mean.

Two things need always to be taken into account:  (1) Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith drank wine, and wine (real wine) was used by Jesus and Joseph for communion.  (2) Humans love to take drugs, and apparently always have, even though some people in modern times have taken the pledge not to do so (kind of like the ancient Nazarites).

I have noticed that nearly all films coming out of Hollyweird feature lots of booze drinking -- some of it very fancy.  That probably reflects the sordid lives of script writers, many of whose scripts seem to have been written when they were completely shnookered.  The average person doesn't drink nearly that much booze.

  • Quote

    Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 85.6 percent of people ages 18 and older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime, 69.5 percent reported that they drank in the past year, and 54.9 percent (59.1 percent of men in this age group and 51.0 percent of women in this age group3) reported that they drank in the past month.  https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

     

Posted
13 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

I don't know why we as members are always looking for scientific backing for the evils of wine.  It's not a sin issue to drink wine.

The Savior drank wine repeatedly.  The Savior never sinned.  Therefore there is zero sin in drinking wine and constantly looking for the bad in it seems counterproductive.

The sin has to be something else.  Let's focus on finding that instead.

Yup, and that focus is the Word of Wisdom, which is like a vow taken by an entire church.  And blessings go with obedience to that vow.

Posted
27 minutes ago, pogi said:

This is the first time I have heard the word.  Had to look it up.  It sounds like it actually is not based on tea drink:...........

Wow.  I had no idea.  Learn somethin new everyday.

Posted (edited)

I always thought the idea that drinking wine for health was a bit silly. I couldn't imagine a person saying, "I hate wine, but it's time to take my medicine" *gulp*

That said, I'm sure many people used the idea that wine is good for your heart as another justification for their drinking. I guess I never needed that. I enjoy a hearty beer, a good glass of red wine, or a peaty scotch. The flavor, the texture, and the feeling are something I choose to experience. I know that abstaining would probably be healthier (I don't drink a lot), but we all engage in things that affect our health negatively, trading health for whatever benefits or enjoyment come from what we are doing.

I'd rather have wine than fast food, so I choose the former and never the later :)

Alcohol does have a big history in Catholic culture, especially in monasteries. One of the two monasteries I regularly go on retreats to brews beer and sells it. It's fun to drink a beer that has a picture of a monk you know on it, ha:

beer-48112_79260_hd.jpeg

Anyways, just my thoughts as a drinker.

Edited by MiserereNobis
Posted
4 hours ago, smac97 said:

Here:

I agree that this notion is "widespread," so much so that I think I - a teetotaler - had subconsciously bought into it.

Living in Utah County, and being surrounded mostly by family and friends who are - like me - teetotalers, it has been a while since I have personally observed the alcohol-as-social-lubricant thing.  It was most acutely obvious to me when I was in the Army.  A fair number of my friends seemed more or less incapable of enjoying themselves in an informal social setting without alcohol as a part of it.  And this often led to contests, party tricks, etc. that involved even more alcohol consumption.

Huh.  I hadn't really thought of these claims as possibly deriving from "the alcohol industry."  I'd like to see if there is evidence of that.

I wonder when this "switch" happened.  Are they referencing Covid?  Or did this switch happen much earlier?

Wow.  

That said, according to WHO "at least 2.8 million people {are} dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese."  We Latter-day Saints have a pretty big beam in our own eye.

"Any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life."

"Any."

Three cheers for teetotaling!

Huh.  Time to relegate this one to the "Urban Legend" dustbin, I guess.

I think this is the only feasible approach to take.  We can't ban alcohol, as we've seen how that goes.  We can impose some constraints (not driving while intoxicated, etc.), but otherwise we can only present data and then let individuals choose for themselves.

That said, I think there is much to be said for teetotaling.  

Thoughts?

Thanks,

-Smac

Gosh darn it, Smac, here you go again with another of your “click bait threads.” Surely you realize that it will frustrate poor Nehor, who won’t have time to do a “deep dive” to prove you wrong before the board has moved on to “the next outrage.”

Stop it, I say. Stop it. 

Posted
2 hours ago, MiserereNobis said:

Alcohol does have a big history in Catholic culture, especially in monasteries. One of the two monasteries I regularly go on retreats to brews beer and sells it. It's fun to drink a beer that has a picture of a monk you know on it, ha:

We used to have a monastery up in Huntsville, a rural area of Utah. But the monks didn’t make wine. They were beekeepers and produced honey. 
 

I feel I cheated myself, because I worked at the Ogden Standard-Examiner newspaper back in the early ‘80s and never bothered to make the easy drive to visit the monastery and purchase product. Then, they shut it down years ago. 

Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, MiserereNobis said:

I always thought the idea that drinking wine for health was a bit silly. I couldn't imagine a person saying, "I hate wine, but it's time to take my medicine" *gulp*

I feel the same about dark chocolate, which I hate, but which some people tout as a health food. To me it would be like taking medicine. I’d just as soon swallow a vitamin pill if I need something. 

Edited by Scott Lloyd
Posted
1 hour ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I feel the same about dark chocolate, which I hate, but which some people tout as a health food. To me it would be like taking medicine. If just as soon swallow a vitamin pill if I need something. 

 

36 minutes ago, rchorse said:

Blasphemy! The only true chocolate is dark!

I like chocolate that is the 88%-92% range. Soooo dark and yummy!

Posted
1 hour ago, Scott Lloyd said:

We used to have a monastery up in Huntsville, a rural area of Utah. But the monks didn’t make wine. They were beekeepers and produced honey. 
 

I feel I cheated myself, because I worked at the Ogden Standard-Examiner newspaper back in the early ‘80s and never bothered to make the easy drive to visit the monastery and purchase product. Then, they shut it down years ago. 

Honey is definitely a standard monastic offering. Bread and cheese, too. At the other monastery I visit they have dairy cows. They often put out a pitcher of fresh (meaning milked less than an hour ago) milk in the morning. It's the only time I have raw milk. It's quite different -- lukewarm and a little chunky. I know it sounds gross but for some reason it fits perfectly with the setting.

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, MiserereNobis said:

Honey is definitely a standard monastic offering. Bread and cheese, too. At the other monastery I visit they have dairy cows. They often put out a pitcher of fresh (meaning milked less than an hour ago) milk in the morning. It's the only time I have raw milk. It's quite different -- lukewarm and a little chunky. I know it sounds gross but for some reason it fits perfectly with the setting.

For the first several years of my life, our family drank raw milk from a family milk cow. I know what you mean by chunky. We got used to spooning off the globs of cream that floated to the top of the glass when we drank milk. 

Edited by Scott Lloyd
Posted
1 hour ago, rchorse said:

Blasphemy! The only true chocolate is dark!

Amen.

1 hour ago, MiserereNobis said:

I like chocolate that is the 88%-92% range. Soooo dark and yummy!

Texture can be an issue at those percents.

@clarkgoble would have known.  😥

Posted
8 hours ago, pogi said:

This reminds me of this video:

 

If avocado green in kitchens and bathrooms comes back though just burn it all down. Society can’t make that mistake twice and live.

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Gosh darn it, Smac, here you go again with another of your “click bait threads.” Surely you realize that it will frustrate poor Nehor, who won’t have time to do a “deep dive” to prove you wrong before the board has moved on to “the next outrage.”

Stop it, I say. Stop it. 

Actually, I read this a few years back. Old news.

Carry on good sirs.

Carry on, Carry on.

I like the sound of that. There should be a song…..nah, it would never work.

Edited by The Nehor
Posted
7 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Gosh darn it, Smac, here you go again with another of your “click bait threads.” Surely you realize that it will frustrate poor Nehor, who won’t have time to do a “deep dive” to prove you wrong before the board has moved on to “the next outrage.”

Stop it, I say. Stop it. 

I say never underestimate the Nehor.

Posted
4 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

For the first several years of my life, our family drank raw milk from a family milk cow. I know what you mean by chunky. We got used to spooning off the globs of cream that floated to the top of the glass when we drank milk. 

I grew up having to milk our cow before Seminary every morning.  You are right about the cream.  We would put the milk in 1 gallon bottles and refrigerate.  Within an hour the cream would rise and there would be a clear demarcation between cream and milk.  The cream was very thick. Like you said, it had to be spooned off.

Posted (edited)
47 minutes ago, sunstoned said:

I grew up having to milk our cow before Seminary every morning.  You are right about the cream.  We would put the milk in 1 gallon bottles and refrigerate.  Within an hour the cream would rise and there would be a clear demarcation between cream and milk.  The cream was very thick. Like you said, it had to be spooned off.

In the very early part of my life, our family used what was called a “separator.” It consisted of a tank for the milk that could be rapidly rotated using a hand crank. Through centrifugal force, the milk, heavier than the cream, would be separated out and flow out through a larger spout, while the cream would flow out through a smaller spout. That didn’t remove all of the cream, though. We still had to spoon off the globs of cream from the glass of milk before drinking it. 
 

When the separator eventually wore out, we trashed it, and my mom would then put the milk in a pan, let the cream rise, and then skim it off the top. I suppose that’s where the phrase “skim milk” originated. 

Edited by Scott Lloyd
Posted
26 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

In the very early part of my life, our family used what was called a “separator.” It consisted of a tank for the milk that could be rapidly rotated using a hand crank. Through centrifugal force, the milk, heavier than the cream, would be separated out and flow out through a larger spout, while the cream would flow out through a smaller spout. That didn’t remove all of the cream, though. We still had to spoon off the globs of cream from the glass of milk before drinking it. 
 

When the separator eventually wore out, we trashed it, and my mom would then put the milk in a pan, let the cream rise, and then skim it off the top. I suppose that’s where the phrase “skim milk” originated. 

You have brought back some memories. I remember seeing a separator that was in are barn.  I never could figure out how it worked.  I haven't seen one for years.

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