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Study: Abstaining from alcohol significantly shortens life
New research shows that those who imbibe are less likely to die prematurely than those who stay dry.
Tue, Aug 31 2010 at 1:53 PM
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Photo: Al404/Flickr
A newly released study shows that regular drinkers are less likely to die prematurely than people who have never indulged in alcohol. You read that right: Time reports that abstaining from alcohol altogether can lead to a shorter life than consistent, moderate drinking.
Surprised? The tightly controlled study, which looked at individuals between ages 55 and 65, spanned a 20-year period and accounted for variables ranging from socioeconomic status to level of physical activity. Led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin, it found that mortality rates were highest for those who had never had a sip, lower for heavy drinkers, and lowest for moderate drinkers who enjoyed one to three drinks per day.
Of the 1,824 study participants, only 41 percent of the moderate drinkers died prematurely compared to a whopping 69 percent of the nondrinkers. Meanwhile, the heavy drinkers fared better than those who abstained, with a 60 percent mortality rate. Despite the increased risks for cirrhosis and several types of cancer, not to mention dependency, accidents and poor judgment associated with heavy drinking, those who imbibe are less likely to die than people who stay dry.
A possible explanation for this is that alcohol can be a great social lubricant, and strong social networks are essential for maintaining mental and physical health. Nondrinkers have been shown to demonstrate greater signs of depression than their carousing counterparts, and in addition to the potential heart health and circulation benefits of moderate drinking (especially red wine), it also increases sociability.
While it’s always important to drink responsibly, this is one study that warrants raising a glass.
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dude alcohol for pregnant womens?? everbody knows that!! assholee
If your spelling, grammar and deductive skills exceeded that of a second grader.
well played
you should never drink alcohol while pregnant you moron
Dude alcohol on pregnant women?? everybody knows that! asshole
usually brings a lot of ignorant comments from the clueless as I see here.
Ethanol causes our livers to produce more of certain enzymes (e.g. CYP2E1). These enzymes help break down the ethanol itself as well as many other chemicals. Perhaps one physiological benefit of alcohol is that it helps clear other harmful substances from our body? We are certainly exposed to many more harmful chemicals in today's world than our ancestors would have been.
*Just a theory; I've never seen any data to back this up.
...that is a hypothesis.
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People need to be responsible for their own actions and admit to their own mistakes. The idea that an article on MMN.com is "irresponsible" when is simply reports the results of a study is utterly moronic. It's this kind of thinking that enables people to never be accountable for their actions. "The article made me drink!" "I did it because of my upbringing."
Adults have control over the decisions they make. Period.
Too many people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and want to blame others for their irresponsible behaviors, including drinking too much.
People who want to blame their problems on everyone else and have society take care of them sounds like a bunch of liberals.
People who bang on about Liberals as if they were some single minded entity (like for instance Republicans) rather than a giant tent under which multiple view points exist sound utterly retarded.
Your brain is like a heard of buffalo, when you kill off the weak ones the heard as a whole gets stronger. When I drink I'm killing off the weak brain cells and therefor making my brain stronger as a whole.
It's a 'herd' of buffalo,not a 'heard'....as in 'I heard that alcohol kills brain cells' .
I'm lovin' it
therefor.
I did! I did heard the buffalo!
You brought Darwin full circle!! *Bows down*
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