So, this article makes some good points (media is terrible at reporting risks, especially when the base rate of risk is small) but misses the main points of the research: People think that drinking small amounts is actively good for you, and that's not true. And people think they're drinking small amounts, when they're not.
Many people think they are drinking low or moderate amounts, when they're actually drinking significantly more.
He also gets the units wrong.
> In 2016, the government cut the levels of recommended alcohol for men and women to no more than 14 units per week, that’s six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine.
One uk pint if 568 ml. Average strength beer in UK is 5%. .568 * 5 * 6 is 18 units.
If you drink a small pub measure of wine (175 ml) at 12% ABV and you have 7 glasses you'll be at just over 14 units.
But most people drink more than this. That's either because their wine is stronger, (eg .175 * 13 * 7 = 16 units) or because their glasses are bigger (250 ml * 12 * 7 = 21 units) or both (.250 * 13 * 7 = 22 units).
When I've mentioned 250 ml glass sizes in the past people ahve said that's a ridiculous size. Here's one menu offering small (175 ml) and large (250 ml) sizes. They have to, by law, offer a 125 ml size too, but that's a hidden option.
Not just the media though, the researchers need better communication in addition to better understanding of risks. What the author pontied out in regards to the public disregarding expert advice is absolutely true. Framing your results like this does no one any good.
I think what gets a lot of people too, in addition to this math, is that they think "Oh, 6 pints or less per week is safe? I'll have them all on Saturday then."
There really need to be a very clear outline on how much is safe to drink, by day, by week, by alcohol content per volume, etc. Just throw a explicitly detailed chart out there.
i love how the first comment of the article is the guy who made a study and explains why. waste of an article as usual, the writer is a TL;DR kind of guy.
“In reality, you can’t separate your heart health from your general health and there are much safer ways to reduce your risk of heart disease, like keeping fit and eating well.”
If you're a woman over the age of 50 and you drink maybe two to four glasses of red wine per week you'll get some heart health benefits, but no-one else does.
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[ 2.1 ms ] story [ 28.9 ms ] threadMany people think they are drinking low or moderate amounts, when they're actually drinking significantly more.
He also gets the units wrong.
> In 2016, the government cut the levels of recommended alcohol for men and women to no more than 14 units per week, that’s six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine.
One uk pint if 568 ml. Average strength beer in UK is 5%. .568 * 5 * 6 is 18 units.
If you drink a small pub measure of wine (175 ml) at 12% ABV and you have 7 glasses you'll be at just over 14 units.
But most people drink more than this. That's either because their wine is stronger, (eg .175 * 13 * 7 = 16 units) or because their glasses are bigger (250 ml * 12 * 7 = 21 units) or both (.250 * 13 * 7 = 22 units).
When I've mentioned 250 ml glass sizes in the past people ahve said that's a ridiculous size. Here's one menu offering small (175 ml) and large (250 ml) sizes. They have to, by law, offer a 125 ml size too, but that's a hidden option.
There really need to be a very clear outline on how much is safe to drink, by day, by week, by alcohol content per volume, etc. Just throw a explicitly detailed chart out there.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/heart-disease-alco...
Regular moderate drinking may lower heart disease risk, study finds
- People with unstable drinking patterns more likely to suffer from coronary illness, scientists say
“In reality, you can’t separate your heart health from your general health and there are much safer ways to reduce your risk of heart disease, like keeping fit and eating well.”
If you're a woman over the age of 50 and you drink maybe two to four glasses of red wine per week you'll get some heart health benefits, but no-one else does.