Calling all doctors/health professionals - a question about drinking.

[hillbilly]

I'm 44, pretty fit (I run 2-3 times a week and take part in 10k's, and half marathons occasionally), I eat healthily and am within my weight range for my height.

I probably have a drink 4 evenings out of 7, usually it would be a large glass of wine. When I go out which is probably about every 3 weeks, I like to drink more and it would be about a bottle of wine, sometimes a bit more but not that often.

So my question is this: Does my drinking pose health implications and does the fact that I lead a relatively healthy lifestyle have any influence on this?

Assuming a 'large glass' is 2 standard glasses you are drinking a bit less than 1.5 bottles in a typical week which is near enough about the 14 units which is the recommended limit for a woman.

Your occassional 1 bottle takes you over the limit once every 3 weeks. I doubt it is doing serious damage as the limits are quite arbitrary and you have an otherwise healthy lifestyle.

Yes I am stating large glass same as you you would get in the pub/bar of 250mls. Do you mind me asking BeenBeta, are you a doctor?

I have to sign off now but will be hoping to hear more posts.......

No I am not a doctor but recommended safe drinking limits are 14 units for women and 21 for men per week.

A standard bottle of typical 13.5% ABV wine holds 10 units of alcohol. So 1.5 bottles is 15 units.

This alcohol calculator may be of interest.

The other thing is that it was admitted a few years ago that 'safe limits' were arbitrarily defined when they were originally created by doctors in 1987.

This Times article summarised the issue.

"Guidelines on safe alcohol consumption limits that have shaped health policy in Britain for 20 years were ?plucked out of the air? as an ?intelligent guess?.

The Times reveals today that the recommended weekly drinking limits of 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 for women, first introduced in 1987 and still in use today, had no firm scientific basis whatsoever. "

Me and DW are careful AND sensible about drink like you are. We generally stay below the recommended limits and just occasisonally like you go slightly above in any given week. We only drink wine like you and only with a meal. As we get older we just find that we cant drink as much as we used to anyway and the limits are pretty much what we feel happy with. Much more than that is just way too much.

Thanks BeenBeta. I guess what my main question is - does an otherwise healthy lifestyle do anything to negate ill effects of over indulging?

I dont know the answer but I honestly dont think you are 'over indulging'.

Hopefully someone else will come along and post who knows a bit more on the current scientific thinking on that.

BeenBeta, the link to The Times is not working and I would be very interested to read it.

Here is the Times link again:

Drink limits ?useless?

Bump - can anyone else comment?