From A Friend

KENWOOD PRESS #47 - March 1, 2025 (submitted by Feb 15)

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???????? IS WINE GOOD (OR BAD) FOR YOU? ?

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?????? It seems these days that the accuracy of “news” reporting depends on which TV network (or radio station) you decide to turn to. “Breaking news” from FOX or MSNBC can broadcast very different versions of the same story.? Of late the same is true about recent “news” concerning what our surgeon general stated (as fact) about alcohol.? Since I am a 100% unbiased writer (ha!) I’ll supply both the “Bad News” and the “Good News” and let you form your own opinion.

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WHAT’S THE BAD NEWS?

?????? On January 3 the US Surgeon General, 47 year old Vivek Hallegere Murthy, made a starling proclamation: “just one drink (of alcohol) per week over a lifetime would raise your cancer risk significantly”. ?He then suggested that all alcohol labeling should have a warning alerting folks to his “fact”.? Since then, others (including the NY Times) have joined his “back to prohibition” mentality and folks are examining whether it’s OK to drink that glass of wine with dinner.

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IS THERE GOOD NEWS?

?????? A lot of it.? Coincidentally, and just two weeks prior to the surgeon general’s damning edict, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) completed an exhaustive scientific study on alcohol (Google “NASEM & Alcohol”). Their scholarly study examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and eight specific health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, all-cause mortality, and certain types of cancer.? I have summarized their “take home” conclusions below:

?????? *All-Cause Mortality: ?Compared with never consuming alcohol, moderate drinking of alcohol will lower all-cause mortality.? (You’ll live longer!)

?????? *Cardiovascular disease:? Compared with never consuming alcohol, drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke in both men and women.? (You’ll be less likely to have heart problems!)

?????? *Weight Changes:? Regardless of whether you are a non-drinker or a moderate drinker there seemed to be no change in propensity to gain weight in men.? (In women, the results were inconsistent.)? (You won’t gain weight if you drink alcohol!)

?????? *Neurocognition: The study found there was no association between moderate alcohol consumption and the risk of cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s disease. (You can’t blame misplacing your car keys on last night’s glass of wine!)

?????? *Cancer:? There was no difference between non-drinkers and moderate drinkers for the risk of colorectal cancer. ?There did seem to be a correlation between female breast cancer and alcohol consumption, but only if higher amounts of alcohol were consumed. (Good reason to drink moderately!)

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ANY OTHER GOOD NEWS?

?????? *A few years back 60 MINUTES broadcast an episode entitled “The French Paradox” reporting that there was a 36% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease in French people than in their American counterparts.? Even though both populations had a relatively high dietary intake of saturated fats, the apparent difference was that the French drank much more red wine than we do. (They still do!)

?????? *In 2022, Purdue University researchers found that red wine (despite the calories) can actually help folks lose weight.? They identified a substance in red wine which inhibited the formation of new fat cells and prevented them from developing into mature fat cells.? (Drink red wine and lose weight!)

?????? *Another 2015 independent medical study found that moderate alcohol consumption was shown to enhance immune function and helped prevent the common cold.

?????? *A 2018 National Institute of Health (NIH) study noted that drinking red wine in moderation had positive links in regard to cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.? That study goes on to state that the resveratrol in red wine helped prevent cardiovascular diseases.

?????? *Just this past year, 60 MINUTES broadcast another positive piece on wine.? Their well-documented “Mediterranean Dream Diet” episode concluded that wine with a meal could lead to a longer life.?

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WHAT’S FLAWED ABOUT THE SURGEON GENERAL’S EDICT?

?????? The majority of scientific studies conclude that there are many possible benefits to moderate alcohol intake, the primary benefit would be lowering your risk of death. ?Why did our surgeon general make his anti-alcohol proclamation in spite of the overwhelming positive data (and just after the NASEM scientific study was published)? No one knows, but the exhaustive NASEM study was first to warn that “abstainer bias should always be considered”.? (I’ll wager that our surgeon general is a non-drinker).? They also correctly pointed out that in order to conduct any scientific study all of the criteria must be well defined.? There are major faults in our surgeon general’s all-inclusive, damning declaration. ?Unlike the NASEM study, he did not attempt to define “moderate consumption” nor did he consider life style, age, sex, socio-economic differences, diet, level of exercise or a host of other variables. ?He also made a huge blunder in lumping together all forms of alcohol.? Is a 6:00 martini the same as enjoying a glass of red wine with dinner?

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WHO SHOULD I BELIEVE?

?????? How we interpret scientific “facts” can be (and often is) greatly slanted and skewered.? What did our surgeon general get wrong?? He stated that between 2020-2021 an estimated 20,216 cancer deaths were alcohol related.? That’s an alarming number and his data may be correct but he did not mention that 83% of those deaths (almost 17,000 of the 20,216) were attributed to “over consumption” of alcohol and could have been prevented if the drinking had been “moderate”.? That means that 3,500 people died from excessive alcohol consumption.? Is that a lot? ?Scientific studies also tell us that sugary soft drinks are responsible for 125,000 deaths per year from cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. If sodas are 35 times more likely to cause deaths than deaths caused from folks who drank too much alcohol, why isn’t there a warning on your Coke can?? Using flawed logic to further a desired, pre-conceived outcome is not scientific.? Using that same (il)logic you can say that overeating and obesity will lead to a shorter life…but should we conclude that food is bad for your health?? That’s the same (il)logic that our surgeon general is using.

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WHAT SHOULD I DO?

?????? Life is filled with choices.? Wine has been an important part of our existence for well over 8,000 years.? I believe that we should eat well, drink well and enjoy every day to its fullest.? WifeSuzy and I will continue to enjoy a glass of wine with our evening meal (and perhaps a glass whilst streaming a post-dinner TV show).? I am 82 years old and my wife’s not too far behind and we are both in pretty darn good health.?

?????? Raise a glass of fine Sonoma Valley wine tonight!

?????? Slainté! (“To Your Health!”)

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“Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”

Benjamin Franklin

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“No poem was ever written by a drinker of water”

Homer

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“Wine is the most hygienic of all beverages”

Louis Pasteur

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“If penicillin can cure those who are ill, good wine can bring the dead back to life”

Alexander Fleming

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“Just Drink It!”

GlenLyon cork