I'm always curious and a bit skeptical about these things...just as I am curious about the studies that say that drinkers of green tea have all sorts of health benefits.
How much of what is being observed can be attributed to the alcohol, and how much is a function of other lifestyle or diet factors which are simply correlated with alcohol use?
I have a few ideas which could potentially confound these studies. Most people tend to drink alcohol socially, and being social is known to have positive effects on the body--including reducing stress. Also, it seems likely that if people are drinking alcohol socially, they are probably getting out more and they are probably more likely to be more active. The opposite may also be true--people who don't consume any alcohol may be more likely to be worriers, people who have trouble relaxing--it's not that not drinking alcohol causes you to be less relaxed but more that the types of people who refrain on their own from alcohol use might be inherently less relaxed people. Just a thought.
Anyway, if even some of these things are true, it could really throw a wrench in the conclusions of these studies. You might see the correlation out there in the data, but it doesn't mean that if you go out and start drinking a glass of wine every night that you will benefit from weight loss (or any other of the health benefits that have supposedly been established from these correlational studies).
I like the overall conclusion or message of your article though. Moderate alcohol use is not worth worrying about! There may not be strong evidence that it has health benefits, but I think this research shows that there is also no strong evidence that moderate use causes much weight gain either!
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I'm always curious and a bit skeptical about these things...just as I am curious about the studies that say that drinkers of green tea have all sorts of health benefits.
How much of what is being observed can be attributed to the alcohol, and how much is a function of other lifestyle or diet factors which are simply correlated with alcohol use?
I have a few ideas which could potentially confound these studies. Most people tend to drink alcohol socially, and being social is known to have positive effects on the body--including reducing stress. Also, it seems likely that if people are drinking alcohol socially, they are probably getting out more and they are probably more likely to be more active. The opposite may also be true--people who don't consume any alcohol may be more likely to be worriers, people who have trouble relaxing--it's not that not drinking alcohol causes you to be less relaxed but more that the types of people who refrain on their own from alcohol use might be inherently less relaxed people. Just a thought.
Anyway, if even some of these things are true, it could really throw a wrench in the conclusions of these studies. You might see the correlation out there in the data, but it doesn't mean that if you go out and start drinking a glass of wine every night that you will benefit from weight loss (or any other of the health benefits that have supposedly been established from these correlational studies).
I like the overall conclusion or message of your article though. Moderate alcohol use is not worth worrying about! There may not be strong evidence that it has health benefits, but I think this research shows that there is also no strong evidence that moderate use causes much weight gain either!
March 9, 2010 - 12:37pmThis Comment
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