C'MON NOW, IS ALCOHOL GOOD OR BAD FOR YOU?

     From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

          DAY  USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82

July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572

Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130

Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82

Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85

Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118

Dec    30       3880    14748       1224       299      465

Jan     14        4142    15512         1151        189       712

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398

Mar     2        1989     9490        1726       110      194

April   6         906     11787         4211       631       37

May    4         853    13667        3025      3786      59 

June   1         287    10637         2346      3205      95

 July   7          251      8440        1595         817     411

Aug    4          656    10120        1118         532     423 

Sept  22       2228      9326          839        279     124

Oct    6         2102      8255          543        315       59

Nov   3         1436      7830         186         458       23

Dec    1        1633      8475          266        477       28

Jan    7         2025      6729         148        285      140

       28          2732   10,516         779        862      133

Feb  2           2990   12,012         946        991      175

      24           1823     9,809        996        304       40

Mar     2        1778     7,756         335        173        28

         11        1022      6002         465           88       28

         16         982      5579         354           59       40

         18         721       5214         380           69       39

         23         771       4695         294           67         6 

         24         649      5008        300           82       33

         31          676      4287         276           28       44

Summary:  

• Let's look at South Korea, which four days ago reported that new COVID-19 cases were finally declining, down to 187,213 on Monday.  
• Well, yesterday this number was back up to 424,528, by far the highest in the world.
• Plus, there were 432 deaths, (8.4 new deaths/million population) #2 to the USA with 676 (2 new deaths/million).
• The U.S. continues to ease restrictions, and with four times the new deaths/million, so is South Korea.
• However, China, with essentially no new deaths has locked down its largest city, Shanghai.
• In the meantime, New Zealand continued to suffer with 15,977 new cases yesterday, or 3195 new cases/million.  
• South Korea is at 8275 new cases/million, while the U.S. rate is 93 new cases/million.
• New Zealand had 12 deaths, or a rate of 2.4/million, about that of the U.S.
• Also in Oceania, Australia had 67,379 new cases, or a rate of 2592 new cases/million, and 34 new deaths, or a rate of 1.3 deaths/million, lower than the U.S.

The American Medical Association recognizes alcoholism as a disease.  What does that mean?  Of course we all know that binge drinking is not smart.  So is drinking too much water or eating too much vegetables.  To quote Healthy Eating:

Eating too many vegetables could be just as unhealthy as eating not enough vegetables, just in a different way. All those health bloggers with plates composed solely of veggies and a drizzle of tahini are actually fostering some really unhealthy habits.

And if you're wondering what tahini is:  ground sesame butter/paste.

Today the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open said:

People who do not drink alcohol and those who drink an average of seven drinks/week have similar rates of heart disease.  However, the risk increases rapidly as alcohol consumption rises.

The bottom line is to have only one alcoholic drink/day.

Another new study reported this month indicated that light-to-moderate drinking may carry risks to the brain.  This applied to adults aged 50 and over who consumed a pint of beer or a glass of wine/day:

• Study from the University of Pennsylvania analyzing the data from more than 36,000 adults.
• Those consuming four drinks/day aged 10 years more than those who were teetotalers. 

Again, the message was don't drink too much, and four/day is too much.

But, aha, a Netherlands Cohort Study reported in 2020:

• In this large prospective study, we found statistically significant positive associations between alcohol intake and the probability of reaching 90 years in both men and women. Overall, the highest probability was found in those consuming 5– < 15 g/d alcohol, which corresponds to 0.5–1.5 glass of alcoholic beverage per day.
• A goodly number of binge drinkers died before reaching 90.

Thus, again, looks like a drink/day is fine, but don't binge.

According to this 2021 U.S. study:

• 86% of adults have consumed an alcoholic beverage at least once.
• 95,000 people in the U.S die each year from alcohol-related causes.  This represents 4% of all deaths.  
• For those who drink, 9% of the consumed calories come from ethanol.
• Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks for a male and 4 or more for a female in two hours.
• It does not recommend low to moderate alcohol drinking.  In other words, DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL.
• And while this is counterintuitive, if not contradictory:  to minimize the risks of harm:  this study suggests you stay within the guidelines for the moderate consumption in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends up to one drink per day for women or two for men.

The following count as one alcoholic drink equivalent:  12 fluid ounces of regular beer (5% alcohol), 5 fluid ounces of wine (12% alcohol), or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits (40% alcohol).  

There are 25.4 ounces in a bottle of wine.  This means that a male can drink 39% that bottle/day.

So is alcohol good or bad for you?  

• The message from the medical community wavers between zero and one drink/day.  
• Binge-drinking is very bad for you.  
• If you want to live longer, stop at one...and maybe even up to two for a male.

• 
  If you are in good shape, moderate drinking makes you 25% to 40% less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or hardened arteries.  Why?  apparently small amounts of alcohol can raise your high density lipoprotein (good cholesterol).  Implied in "good shape" is sufficient exercise and normal weight.
• Moderate drinkers are less likely to get kidney stones:  41% less for beer drinkers and 33% for wine drinkers.
• Alcohol does make you more sociable and happier.  I can confirm that in my dining room experience at 15 Craigside.
• 
  Alcohol improves your sex life.
• While that recent study above seems to say alcohol was bad for your brain and heart, other studies have shown that some alcohol can reduce dementia and heart problems.
• Happy-hour cocktail or glass of wine with dinner makes you less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, which is the most common diabetic ailment.

So is alcohol good or bad for you?  It's your life.  Only you can determine what is good for you.  Probably best to heed medical advice.  Then again...

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