Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
The public has been hijacked. For years, the public was told that moderate alcohol consumption was not dangerous to one’s health. The public was also told that having one to two drinks a day was okay and might even be good for you, in the case of consuming red wine.
Well, this messaging was in error. What’s even more interesting is that the younger population got this message before the older population. In a recent Gallup poll looking at young adult Americans, ages 18-34, 65 percent of them viewed drinking alcohol as having negative health effects. In the age group of 55 and older, only 39 percent saw alcohol consumption as a health negative.
Researchers analyzed the data of more than 135,000 people who were 60 years of age and older and who lived in the United Kingdom for 12 years. They compared the outcomes for those who were so-called occasional drinkers (having less than two drinks per week) to those who were classified as the high-risk group, having three drinks per day (for men) and one drink and a half per day (for women).
The difference between the groups showed a 33 percent increased risk of early death, a 39 percent increased risk of dying from cancer and a 21 percent increased risk of dying from heart problems or problems with the blood vessels in the high-risk drinkers.
People who moderately consumed alcohol (one drink per day) had an 11 percent increase in dying from cancer.
They noted that people who only drink wine or drink only with meals had a lower risk, however the researched believe that more research in this area is needed.
So, the question, if any alcohol is safe is for real. It is good to see that the younger population may already know this and hopefully will act accordingly.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
