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Original poster

Boozing and longevity, myth or fact?

55 replies

MintyAraminta · 26/06/2023 22:55

I've been reading about some related ideas and came across some google results that claimed there were studies that proved moderate drinking was healthier than abstinence.
Other studies claimed no such thing.

I did notice that the studies which stated drinkers lived longer were coming from the rags (Mail/Mirror/Sun, etc).
Which made me think mmmm,,,,,research possibly funded by drinks companies, lol.

However, when my dad was diagnosed with angina many years ago his cardiologist, upon hearing he didn't drink, advised him to try one small whiskey in the evenings. He never did, but lived to a good old age.

I myself am a rare drinker, the last time i indulged was on a city trip a month ago with a single pint and chips. I have very little experience with drink problems, although someone I knew slightly died in her 40's from alcoholism.

What do you think? Is there any real value in the idea that moderate drinking would make one live longer? There is the stuff about it reducing stress, but surely that could be alleviated by lifestyle/social changes, not just booze. Maybe booze is a red herring here..
And if you were quite stressed, you might have to drink really regularly to even cancel it out.

I do notice that drink can actually increase stress and anxiety, so don't know what to think.

OP posts:
Newnamenewname109870 · 28/06/2023 14:13

But there could be so many factors, such as those having a small amount of alcohol are better at avoiding other things that are bad. Everyone has their ‘vice’. Either way, it’s not known to be good for you. If you think a little bit is helpful then a little bit really is tiny. Not every night!

Pearlsaminga · 28/06/2023 14:16

Walrussy · 28/06/2023 04:26

I'm a health scientist and my assumption, though I don't follow this area of research, is that very moderate (a glass to 3 of wine per week) drinking correlates with other things that haven't been adequately controlled for in the analyses that actually are causative of longevity. Not that alcohol consumption itself is what causes longevity. Particularly as we know that alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, is strongly linked to some of the leading causes of death

It's this. The kind of person who drinks one glass of red wine every other is likely to have other things that allow them to be healthy. Once you allow for those other factors, there are no health benefits to drinking even a small amount of alcohol - although I believe if you are a passenger in, for e.g., a car accident, being drunk makes you more likely to survive it as it keeps your muscles relaxed on impact. But that's obviously quite a niche scenario!

I agree with this, a person who drinks in moderation probably does other things in moderation.

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General food
REP22 · 28/06/2023 14:38

JulieHoney · 27/06/2023 00:27

No level of alcohol is ‘healthy’. We drink it because we like it and it makes us feel good.

We cherry pick studies that attribute positive effects from the things we like - I can quote you 4 papers supporting consumption of dark chocolate, for example.

I am at least as much a wine-addled sot as the best of them, but even I accept alcohol is bad for me and I take responsibility for my choices.

Yes, this.

A lot of those "studies" are actually funded/sponsored by drinks manufacturers.

You can't drink alcohol to maintain health. It depends on genetics, personal history and any other individually-relevant factors as to whether it has any overall or lasting benefits. But alcohol is a toxin. It might make you feel better for a while. But it's the same stuff as is in the fuel you put in your car.

If wine was really that much of a health benefit, surely the most healthy people around would be those who are falling about in nightclub doorways and streets at 2am on a weekend, or the people who hang around in parks with most of their stuff in bags around them. Because I'm sure they all started with just one, now and again.

Original poster
MintyAraminta · 28/06/2023 17:20

I still thinks it is mostly confirmation bias, especially the obsession with red wine.
According to the WHO there is no remote benefit to drinking any booze at all. But like everything out there, moderation probably never killed anyone!

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