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Wine and health debate continues 8-16-2023

Is a glass or two of wine good for you or bad for you? Experts: It is good for you, you will live longer. Experts: It is bad for you, it will shorten your life.

Well, thanks for clearing that up. In the 1990s, experts asserted red wine consumption with its healthy resveratrol component helps prevent cardiovascular disease. Red wine was cited as a reason for good health and longer life expectancy in France.

Such assertions glossed over that, in general, the French consumed less fast food and meat, consumed less food at meals, and enjoyed a better health care system. But, hey, red wine was the key, along with the Mediterranean diet of less meat and more fresh fruits and vegetables. Viva La France.

Well, this is science, so that wisdom would be challenged. And so it was. This year the New York Times reported researchers came to a different conclusion: even a little alcohol can harm your health. The safest choice is not to drink any alcohol at all.

There is no argument that excessive alcohol consumption is a bad thing. Bad for health. Often bad for relationships. Certainly not good if you drive somewhere to consume. But what about moderate consumption—a glass or two as part of your family meal at home?

There is a problem. The “no alcohol” folks isolate alcohol as a single variable. Life does not work that way. Other studies assert people who joyously interact with people live longer, and even if they do not live longer, they enjoy more enriching, satisfying lives. Most wine is consumed with others, integrated into a meal and interaction with others. If such activity trims a few days, weeks, or even months off my life, then I gladly take that deal.

In 2018, the British medical journal The Lancet published a major study on links between alcohol consumption and cancer, heart disease, and other illness. It was a major work of scholarship combining hundreds of studies. Unfortunately, it only glancingly addressed effects of moderate drinking. Increased incidents of cancer were small. For heart disease, moderate drinking decreased risk. The studies also divorced pleasure in life from longevity. Old joke: “if you cut out drinking you may not live longer, but it will seem longer.”

Bottom line: drinking wine may not help you live longer, but drinking wine in moderation is not ingesting poison either. And certainly can make life more pleasant. Salude!

Last round: What do you call a retired cowboy? De-ranged. Wine time.

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