At 9:58 6/11/03, mark wilson wrote:
....
>But alcohol, which is the main line of discussion
>here, in relative moderation, has been proven to
>reduce mortality.  An extreme example is the
>Copenhagen study that showed the greatest benifit at 5
>glasses of red wine per day (men).
>
>But other studies have shown benifits as well.
>Data from several large U.S. cohorts including the
>well-known Kaiser Permanente, Framingham Heart,
>Nurses' Health and Physicians' Health Studies confirm
>the so called U- shape curve showing that moderate
>drinkers, compared to nondrinkers and heavy drinkers,
>have a much lower risk for coronary heart disease.
>
>The Harvard University Nurses' Health Study reported
>mortality benefits specifically for women who drank
>moderately compared to those who did not drink at all,
>and an Oxford University study found that the overall
>death rate for moderate drinking men was at least
>one-sixth lower than that of abstainers.


I think that these studies can only show that an average population of
non-Paleo eaters, with all the Syndrome X disorders that come with a
carb-laden diet, a stressful work life, possibly tobacco use, etc., are
indeed helped by a bit of alcohol, probably due in part to the
stress-relief qualities, effect on lipid metabolism, and anti-oxidant
activity.

However, to a person eating well, by our standards, with a good lipid
profile, no weight problem, unstressed by insulin spikes, and the like, the
benefits of alcohol may not outweigh the more negative aspects of systemic
poisoning, just because we may not need the benefits as badly. Just a
thought.

ginny

All stunts performed without a net!