A science article front-paged in yesterday's New York Times raises a question of whether 'study after study' that links moderate use of alcohol to health is 'all a big mistake.'
The article says that 'some scientists' claim no study has 'ever proved a causal relationship between moderate drinking and lower risk of death - only that the two often go together. It may be that moderate drinking is just something healthy people tend to do, not something that makes people healthy.'
The Times's findings almost certainly will trouble the American wine industry, which for years has trumpeted the supposed health benefits of moderately consumed wine, especially red wine.
The article quotes one critic, Kaye Middleton Fillmore, a sociologist who has retired from the University of California, San Francisco, as saying “Moderate drinkers tend to do everything right - they exercise, they don't smoke, they eat right and drink moderately. It's very hard to disentangle all of that, and that's a real problem.'
The Times also quotes Dr. Tim Naimi, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as saying, 'The bottom line is there has not been a single study done on moderate alcohol consumption and mortality outcomes that is a “gold standard” kind of study.'
Questions have arisen, the newspaper says, about financial ties between the 'alcoholic beverage industry and many academic centers, which have accepted industry money to pay for research, train students and promote their findings.'
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An interesting point. But it may also suggest that many of the claims that certain food and drinks 'are bad for you' are equally questionable.
Philip Styles, France
I am a male, almost 60, overweight, smoke and drink only wine (no hard alcohol) or water, and my doctors cannot explain why I am prefectly clinicall healthy! According to them I should be almost dead! I blame the wine I produce and which I have been consuming regularly for almost 40 years for my condition...
Victor, Malta
Regarding wine-drinking and health: science is not that simple as many think - even scientists! Science always starts with a critical mind!
Nils Stormbvy, MD, PhD
Unfortunately, questions have NOT been raised about the financing of claims and assertions against the health benefits of wine, which often come from anti-alcohol groups. Also, after so many different studies involving hundred of thousands of people over several decades, in so many countries with different lifestyles, diets, and cultures, raising the issue of a “gold standard” is disingenuous, to say the least. It appears Puritanism still thrives...
Brian St. Pierre, London, UK
I disagree wth this Article. At best it merely reflects the well known fact that running tests on humans is harder than on lab rats. There is now overwhelming evidence that the anthocyanins in red wine put a break on heart desease, probably ward-off certain cancers and possibly other deseases. Biochemistry is essentially a study of chemical reactions in balance. Too much of any compound in a mix will drive a chemical pathway in the wrong direction, impacting on the health of the organism. It is therfore no surprize that the large majority of research results point to moderate wine intake as better than either abstinence or heavy consumption. For a substance to be beneficial to health it must be metabolized at the right concentrations. If you get sick, I suggest you don't visit a sociologist!!! Graham Reddel, Zurich, Switzerland
So shall we next go on to re-examine claims that global warming is real and that second-hand smoke causes cancer? Why not? I agree that it would be worthwhile finding out whether this is all just another fig leaf for resurgent Puritanism (which has been having such great success lately in France—of all places), but for my part, I'll continue drinking wine as I always have—for pleasure.
Bill Marsano , New York, USA
So, here we go again. Last efforts of a dying paper to hang on to anything that will keep it in the minds of the readers. In case it went unnoticed by the staff, after all is said and done' life is deadly' and being healthy is just the slowest possible way of dying. So lets enjoy a glass of our favored liquid and contemplate the brevity of our existence, on second thought, lets just enjoy it.
Cebe, Florida, UK
Wine puts many smiles on many faces daily, and more so provides a few moments of much needed relaxation to many of us who have seen that very word disappear from the dictionary. Let's not pay attention to the scientists' and sociologists' arguments over wine that really don't pertain to why we drink it in the first place. I would argue that most of us wine lovers drink it to compliment our food, to compliment a gathering of friends or family, to compliment a beautiful summer afternoon or a cold rainy wintry day. We drink it because we enjoy it, not because we hope it is going to rid the world of cancer and heart disease. Enjoyment and smiles ... what more could we ask for! Cheers!
Lauren Holbrook, Austin, TX
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