Is Alcohol Actually Healthy?
Can You Pour Health Benefits Into A Mug?
17:46 EDT July 30, 2008
WTAE-4
Prost! Slainte! Salud! No matter what the language, people have raised their
glasses and toasted each other's good health for centuries.
Whether history's toasts were wishful thinking or a subconscious belief that
the contents of those vessels truly benefited well-being, we probably will
ever know. But a growing stack of modern evidence is proving that alcohol
actually does offer numerous health benefits.
A Drink A Day?
Despite the data, most medical professionals stop short of prescribing
moderate drinking -- defined as no more than two drinks a day for men or one
a day for women -- as a way to keep the doctor away.
Dr. W. Gifford-Jones is the nom de plum for Dr. Ken Walker, a practicing
physician and medical journalist in Toronto. For decades he has touted the
benefits of enjoying a drink or two a day. He also has lifted more than one
eyebrow by prescribing a cocktail to his post-op patients their second day
after surgery -- if they are moderate drinkers.
"I think of all the medicines we give people these days -- moderate drinking
is a hell of a lot safer," he said. "If you look at the side effects of
drugs -- from
aspirin to stronger drugs -- the list is as long as your arm.
Not so with moderate intake of alcohol.
"I think alcohol is a good drug. Compared to prescription drugs? Yes, any
day."
Gifford-Jones said the fear of patients potentially misusing alcohol keeps
many doctors from promoting alcohol's health benefits.
"What happens, when you go to a medical convention, and you begin debating
the pros and cons (of moderate alcohol consumption): The ones against it are
against it. But the ones for it say, 'We can't say that we are for drinking
because of those that will drink too much.' And I say, 'If that's the case,
why don't we take cars off the road because some will drive 140 mph?'"
Alcohol Is Alcohol -- Or Is It?
Evidence is mounting that the moderate drinker might get a health boost from
imbibing. But are all alcoholic drinks created equal?
Yes and no, according to Gifford-Jones.
"There's a lot of talk about red wine. French red-wine makers would love
it if we only touted red wine's health benefits. But I don't think it makes
any difference, really. I think it's the alcohol (that provides the health
benefits)," Gifford-Jones said.
More than two decades' worth of studies have credited daily moderate alcohol
consumption with preventing heart attacks and strokes, helping to regulate
insulin, staving off age-related dementia and even preventing osteoporosis
and certain cancers. Other studies have suggested that adults who enjoy a
drink or two daily have fewer incidents of emergency-room visits, fewer
gallstones and intestinal disorders and even fewer bouts with the common
cold.
But, most recently, one adult beverage has been touted as offering
additional health benefits. Surprise! It's not wine.
Beer's Bounty
Research by Dr. Margo A. Denke, an associate professor of medicine at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, suggests that beer might
be a healthier quaff than red wine.
Denke determined that beer contains healthy doses of polyphenols that are
similar to amounts in red wine. Polyphenols are antioxidants credited for
raising good cholesterol and staving off certain cancers. The research also
determined that beer has as much as 5 times the polyphenols as white wine.
Additionally, researchers at Oregon State University recently discovered
that hops, one of the main ingredients in beer, contain isoflavinoids --
plant-based estrogens that have been found to inhibit prostate, breast and
colon cancer.
Because beer is made from grain, it contains protein. Craft beer, the
artisan beer made in small batches by independent brewers, typically is not
filtered, so it is chock-full of vitamins and minerals from the yeast still
suspended in the liquid.
"Beer is 93% water, no fat, no cholesterol, no triglycerides, no
sugar," Gifford-Jones said. "(Beer has) significant amounts of
magnesium and potassium and other minerals as well as vitamins
B2, B6 and
folic acid. It's a damn good beverage."
And a darn fine reason to raise a toast with a glass of beer. To your
health, of course.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
Beer prevents PCa? 
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