GrayJ

"If really you must drink, choose red wine for better gut health, finds study"

Stupid headlines like this really annoy me. So many 'studies' that glorify alcohol consumption. I often wonder just how many are 'paid off' by big alcohol brand names or something.

Just a rant.

Day 167

Ghostlight1

Well, it does say if you 'must' drink.

ImNotThatGuy

It's a sore spot for me too. I get especially annoyed when they portray drinking as this glamorous or funny thing in movies or TV shows. It's almost like "they" want people to drink.

fini

haha;if or when really you must drink, you'd be past choosing.

AAPJ

Perhaps one should read the entire article before commenting. Just search for the title of the article and it will pop right up.

Here is a quote from the article:

However, professionals have also warned that the positives should still be weighed up against the negative impacts of alcohol.

"No doctor would recommend drinking on medical grounds, as any potential benefits of red wine polyphenols should be considered alongside alcohol's links to over 200 health conditions, including heart disease and cancers as identified in the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines review,"

I don't think the article glorifies drinking at all.

That said I do recognize that many TV shows do glorify drinking which is annoying/frustrating.

Lucinda2

Have you read the Allen Carr quit book? He describes the AV as a Little Monster and the Media as a Big Monster. The analogy made sense to me. The Little Monster withers and dies with time if it is not fed with a drink, but the Big Monster is relentless so we have to counter its lies with truth. The truth is that we are missing nothing at all. At least that is how I read it.

Gray J - I did read the entire article and I agree with you. Despite what it says further on we live in a world of headlines. They know that when they write these articles too.

GotTheBlues

If you must drink, you really shouldn't be drinking at all.

BackandScared

The problem with this kind of headlines is that a part of the population is addicted or has the potential to become addicted. Therefore, the benefits should not only be weighed against the many health and social problems, but also against the potential of everybody of becoming addicted to an addictive substance.

There is no way of knowing who will get hooked. Nobody starts drinking with the purpose of becoming addicted.

I don't know the solution to this kind of headlines that are consumed by non-addicted persons (who can become addicted but can also benefit from good effects of red wine or whatever) and addicted persons (who are very vulnerable in their decision-making process and will never get real benefits from alcohol consumption).

I try to see these headlines as adds for cruises or a Lamborghini. They can also send me plenty of articles about the benefits of working 3 days a week instead of 5/6 or having 10 weeks-holidays divided between the mountain and the sea. I cannot afford it. I am happy others can. I wish I could, but there are many things I cannot do, including climbing or playing football.

least

I've read somewhere that grape juice has the same benefits as red wine. My dad has his two glasses of wine each night with dinner. Always has and always will. That's it, just two glasses.

Red wine might have benefits, but I'll just pass on that one, thanks.

NessunDorma

Very good.

I do agree with the OP - imho these type of headlines give a slanted perspective which will be harmful to people who are wavering/rationalising problem drinking. I can recall doing that at points before I got to grips with my alcoholism.

As I understand it, red wine contains polyphenols which have some benefit. Many other things contain polyphenols, fruits and vegetables which will additionally bring other benefits and carry less risk than wine.

Highlighting wine this way, and the way such articles are framed, is misleading to everyone and unhelpful to problem drinkers. Like other marginal upsides of some drinks in strictly controlled very small quantities, a more accurate message might be:

'There are some nutrients that will have some benefit to your gut/heart etc. These are found in overall healthy things and also in overall unhealthy things like red wine (which even in small quantities increases risk of cancer etc). If you wish to maximise your health outcomes: eat a balanced diet that includes these things, exercise and avoid tobacco alcohol. People who can drink in very small quantities might conclude that for them the net health risk of alcohol is so small as to be OK: but even at that level, while there are some pros and cons, on balance alcoholic drinks are not healthy.'

DriGuy

Back in college in 1967, my roommate brought back a leaflet from the liquor store, probably put out my the American Wine Makers Association or something like that. It extolled the virtues of wine, saying among other things, that wine was often prescribed by doctors. This particular virtue included a photo of a happy nurse serving wine to a delighted patient in bed. As I recall, the nurse was holding a sliver serving platter with a wine glass, and an opened bottle... A whole bottle mind you. The leaflet ended it's praise for wine with the statement, "Wine is God's proof to mankind that he loves us and wants us to be happy."

SoberCAH

And the American Medical Association endorsed either Camel or Winston cigarettes.