Wine Making
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Is Moderate Drinking Good For You, Part 1
   
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Wine Gift Box
What Makes a Good Wine Gift Box?
There are a number of different wine gift boxes that are available on the market and one can find many vendors who have assorted wine gift boxes available .....
What Makes a Good Wine Gift Box?
There are a number of different wine gift boxes that are available on the market and one can find many vendors who have assorted wine gift boxes available .....
For me this is going back 40 or so years, to my Aunt and Uncle.
Aunty had a bad ticker and, on her doctors advice, took a shot
of scotch every evening. Uncle Bud didnt have any problem with
a shot every night. Where Uncle Bud drew the line was her
insistence on having 2 or even 3 shots every night. And
Auntys shots were more like ponys than shots.an ounce and
a half to two ounces rather than just one ounce! This is back in
the early 1960s. But.she did live an extra 10-12 years beyond
the original less than a year prognosis, which the doctors
attributed to the kick-start effect of those massive shots on
her heart!
Additionally, since the 60s and perhaps much earlier, it is
often recommended that women take a glass of beer a day when
pregnant because of the added Vitamin D and other benefits. This
is wholly contrary to the concept that pregnant women should
consume absolutely ZERO alcohol during pregnancy.
Lets take a quick trip to Europe where, in Germany, they drink
beer rather than water; in France and Italy and Spain the drink
is wine rather than water. Were talking people of all ages,
from children up. Generally in Europe the water is unsafe to
drink unless boiled or bottled from the store. And they have a
lower heart disease and resultant stroke and especially heart
attack problem than the US and Canada.
So heres the big question: Will a glass of wine or a shot of
vodka a day keep the doctor away?
A large body of evidence collected over the past few years shows
that modest alcohol consumption can reduce deaths from coronary
heart disease (CHD) in middle and old age. Since heart disease
accounts for about half of the deaths among older adults, it
might seem that finding a way to cut the death rate would be
greeted with joy by public health officials, who are always on
the lookout for a means to prevent premature death.
However, we are not likely to see cheerful "have one for the
heart" posters replacing the current warnings about the bad
effects of alcohol. This is because, despite its benefits for
the heart, most medical authorities consider the ill effects of
alcohol too dire to recommend it as "heart medicine." The risks
of injuries, assault and various health problems related to
drinking are too great to suggest that non-drinkers start
consuming alcohol to improve heart-health. These risks are
present because most people cant, or wont, have just one
take my Auntys example for a case in point. Aunty, after two
ponys (3 to 4 1-ounce shots) was about half looped. And if she
had a third there wasnt any about about it she was very
definitely loaded.
So what is this body of evidence showing about possible benefits
of moderate alcohol intake as cardioprotective benefits?
Studies from around the world show a consistent link between
moderate alcohol consumption and decreased deaths from coronary
heart disease, and in both sexes over age 35-40, but especially
among middle aged men. Modest alcohol consumption seems to
reduce risks of death from coronary disease by 40-50 per cent.
This effect is termed the cardioprotective effect of moderate
alcohol consumption. The benefits of modest alcohol intake hold
true even for those who have had heart attacks or are at known
risk for CHD.
Depending on the studies, the heart protection occurs with
alcohol consumptions of one to five drinks a day. But most
studies show the heart-saving effects of alcohol peak at levels
of two or fewer drinks a day, and that benefits plateau at three
drinks per day. In fact, the research suggests that as little as
one drink every other day may confer heart-protecting effects in
both sexes over age 35.
The downside here is that excessive consumption not only
improves the cardioprotective benefits but, even with modest
drinking but in amounts over two daily drinks, the possible
benefits gained for the heart are negated by the bad health
effects of alcohol more falls, bruises, cuts, road injuries,
violence, rising blood pressure, hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke,
liver cirrhosis and some types of cancer.
Revelations A Study. Section 13.
Revelations A Study. Section 13. Chapter 17:1 thru 19:3, The judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. The anti-christ, to try to defeat Jesus must .....
Now I, personally, from a lifetime (Im 69 and counting) ofRevelations A Study. Section 13. Chapter 17:1 thru 19:3, The judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. The anti-christ, to try to defeat Jesus must .....
observation on friends and relatives, including 4 years living
in the heart of Europe (Orleans, France), am convinced of the
beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption.
Never-the-less, one must remember that even moderate drinking
can cause increases in the death rates from violence, trauma,
fire, water and road injuries.
The "J-shaped" curve heres where I have a big problem.
Studies in many countries find that people who consume alcohol
in moderation have lower death rates (from all causes) than
those at either extreme: abstainers and those who drink to
excess. My problem here is that, so far as I know, Life is 100%
fatal. Thus, there is absolutely no way in which people who
consume alcohol in moderation have lower death rates (from all
causes) than those Anyway, back to the J-Curve. In other
words, heavy drinkers and abstainers have higher death rates
than moderate drinkers. Graphs that plot deaths from heart
attacks against amounts of alcohol consumed have a so-called
"J-shaped pattern" with a shallow dip in total mortality for
modest drinkers. This indicates that people who drink a lot die
early, relatively speaking, and -- contrary to expectations --
that those who drink no alcohol also have increased premature
death rates. Recent data from the U.S. National Health and
Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) found the coronary
mortality rate of moderate drinkers (who average a daily one to
two glasses of wine, beer or spirits) was 50 per cent lower than
that of total abstainers and 60 per cent lower than that of
heavy drinkers.
So, then, what is moderate drinking How much is enough:?
The concept of "moderate drinking varies from one country or
population to another, as do the amounts of alcohol in
beverages. For example, one average North American drink
contains 12-14 gm alcohol; in Britain it would have 8.5 gm
alcohol per drink, while in German beer halls each glass might
contain 20 gm per drink. In general, the experts consider
moderate drinking to be one to two 5-oz. glasses of table wine,
two bottles of regular beer or a couple of 1.5-oz. shots of
spirits a day for men and less for women, but not every day.
Current recommendations for low-risk drinking suggest no more
than one to two standard alcoholic drinks a day for women, no
more than two a day for men.
Drinking standards vary widely in countries around the world
The "drinking norm" is an elusive concept as drinking patterns
vary widely among nations and cultural or religious groups, with
different "right and wrong" times and places to drink -- for
instance, with or without meals, as part of a daily regime or
only on special occasions. In some societies, having a "couple
of drinks before dinner" is usual, in others it may cause raised
eyebrows. In France and Italy, for example people habitually sip
wine with meals, but drunkenness is unacceptable. In Canada,
"restrained drinking" has been cited as "less than five drinks
on one occasion," and drunken behaviour is mildly tolerated. In
Finland, drinking is not part of everyday life but is often
binge drinking reserved for special occasions, sometimes with
many drinks at one go, perhaps explaining the country's high
incidence of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.
Then we have "The French Paradox"
I lived for four years in France and have observed this
Paradox in person. The idea that wine might offset coronary
heart disease arose from the finding that the heart attack rates
in France are far lower than those in most of Europe and other
industrialized nations, despite French diets high in fat, low
exercise levels and much tobacco smoking. Epidemiologists
suggest that the low heart attack rates among the French might
Towards Intercultural Understanding
An individuals ability to forge effective relationships across cultures is influenced by a very personal and highly complex mixture of .....
be due to their high wine consumption, mostly red wine, usuallyAn individuals ability to forge effective relationships across cultures is influenced by a very personal and highly complex mixture of .....
taken with meals. Although the French food supply is still
relatively healthful," notes one nutritionist, "the gap is
narrowing as their eating patterns change from a typical
Mediterranean diet (low in saturated fats, rich in minimally
processed plant foods) to one higher in animal fats. A rise in
French heart attack rates may soon follow." It is my opinion
that there is a growing tendency among health professionals and
dietitians" to infer that a healthy diet is a vegetarian-based
diet and contains little or no animal protein, yet there is no
evidence anywhere to prove such a hypothesis.
Authors note: here we end Part 1. This is necessary due to the
GoArticles restriction on article length and even though I have
edited out two full pages of my original article it remains just
a little too long to fit in one article.
About the author:
Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than
40 years, is a published author and freelance writer.
This article is Copyright 2005 by http://www.organicgreens.us,
http://www.organicgreens.ca and Loring Windblad. This article
may be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it is
copied complete with all links and text, including the Authors
Resource Box, intact and unchanged except for misspellings and
typos.