In a new study*, the CDC expresses scepticisim regarding the benefits of “moderate drinking.” I was unable to find the raw data on the CDC site–or anything about the study, in fact. Therefore, I have questions for those with either greater knowledge or better search skills than my own:
How do they define “moderate” drinking? 1 per day? 1 per week?
The study found that “nondrinkers had a higher risk for heart disease because they had higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, inactivity, and obesity.” I heard from another source (TV news…YMMV) that they (the nondrinkers) get less exercise as well. Who are these nondrinkers and what are they doing with their lives–eating bon-bons and watching TV instead of drinking? The article does say that the nondrinkers are poorer and less educated.
Is the CDC data available anywhere?
*Link is to MedPage story
(I would paste a direct link, but my browser address shows our logon and password to access). Anayway, it’s the May 2005 issue. You should be able to at least access the summary if not the full text.
The full text answers your question #1 ( not more than 2 drinks/day for men and 1/day for women is considered moderate). One interesting point is that non-drinkers were those who hadn’t drank in the last 30 days. Presuambly you could drink yourself near death, get detoxed, stay on the wagon for 30 days and count as a non-drinker.
As to #2, it doesn’t really say wht they do, but you may not be far off. The incidence of “no leisure time physical activity” was nearly twice as high in non-drinkers as moderate drinkers. Income and education, as you mentioned, favored the moderate drinkers as well.
The paper also states
They also found that when risk factors are segmented (i.e. BMI, income) the greater the risk factor, the stronger it correlated with nondrinkers.
When they excluded people with poor health and a history of CVD (which seems to me to be an obvious thing to do and should remove the people who drank themsleves to poor health then quit), the results were essentially the same.
Seems a pretty interesting study. I’m no doctor or epidemiologist, but the data comes from over 250,000 people, and some of the results show a clear difference.
I guess the take-home is that moderate drinking is OK, just don’t assume it will make up for or excuse you from the other healthy lifestyle choices.