Alcohol: Good For Me, Bad For You.

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• April 20, 2004 at 6:00 pm #7224
  David Lauterbach

  Keymaster

  It’s getting harder and harder to track whether or not beer and alcohol is good for you. Data from study after study has been pouring in on this subject–more so over the last few days–both for and against it. Of course as purveyors of alcohol we tend to report the studies that conclude that drinking is fundamental (and there have been dozens since we’ve been online) but we’d be shirking our duties as phony-baloney journalists if we didn’t address both sides of the issue. Here’s a few recent ones:<br />
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  Men… Drinking alcohol, especially beer, is bad for your gout:<br />
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  Confirming the wisdom of ages, researchers have found that drinking alcohol, particularly beer, can more than double a man’s risk of developing gout. One of humankind’s most ancient diseases, the painful joint condition is the leading cause of arthritis in men (just ask our namesake Brian). The connection to drinking has been believed for centuries, but a study published this week verifies it for the first time and found that even light indulgence increases the risk. FULL STORY at <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/articles/0416gout16.html"><strong>azCentral.com</strong></a><br />
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  Ladies… Drinking is good for you and your breasts, maybe:<br />
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  Numerous studies have been published showing that consuming alcohol increases the risk for breast cancer. That’s what makes a new research finding from Portugal so intriguing. The study has determined that certain compounds found in wine, beer (and tea) have contributed to a significant decrease in breast cancer cell proliferation. FULL STORY at <a href="http://www.advanceforal.com/common/editorial/editorial.aspx?CC=33176"><strong>AdvanceForAL.com</strong></a&gt;.<br />
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  But what’s good for the breast, is bad for the colon:<br />
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  Fairly heavy alcohol consumption appears to moderately increase the risk of cancer in the colon and rectum, researchers report in the Annals (chuckle) of Internal Medicine. Although previous studies have linked alcohol use with colon cancer, findings regarding personal factors and types of beverage have been inconsistent. The results were similar for women and men. FULL STORY at <a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&amp;storyID=4870577&amp;section=news"><strong>Reuters</strong></a><br />
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  Drinking is probably OK if you have <a href="http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/6/623"><strong>heart disease</strong></a> or <a href="http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=8317"><strong>high blood pressure</strong></a>… but binge drinking can lead to <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-coors19.html"><strong>stupidity, fast driving and lawsuits</strong></a>, <a href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/10325507?source=Evening%20Standard"><strong>choking to death</strong></a>, and <a href="http://www.projo.com/southcounty/content/projo_20040420_scplay20.95210.html"><strong>name-calling</strong></a&gt;.<br />
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  Bottom line: Whatever you’re drinking, there’s probably at least one study on it that it’s good, and one that it’s bad. <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-lshealth3740639apr06,0,5598164.story?coll=ny-health-big-pix"><strong>NY Newsday</strong></a> seems to agree with us.

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