4 ms·

I’m just waiting to read “This research was funded in part by the Molson Coors Brewing Company”. Ask HN: Should I start drinking regularly?

Arnt 6y ago
It was funded by the Friends of a Mediterranean Diet Society ;) Make a proper dinner every day, with actual ingredients, eat it in peace, with a glass of wine. It'll do you good, and leave separating the effect of the wine from the effect of the other mediterranean staples to the pedants. https://www.amazon.com/fnord/dp/0091925320 https://www.amazon.com/fnord/dp/0091925320 for example.
- jedimind 6y ago
  The scientific research I read doesn't agree with that: "Countless scientific studies have espoused the idea that a glass of red wine a day can be good for the heart, but a new, sweeping global study published in The Lancet on Friday rejects the notion that any drinking can be healthy. No amount of alcohol is safe, according to The Global Burden of Diseases study, which analyzed levels of alcohol use and its health effects in 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. While the study's authors say that moderate drinking may safeguard people against heart disease, they found that the potential to develop cancer and other diseases offsets these potential benefits, as do other risks of harm. The report urges governments to revise health guidelines to suggest lower levels of consumption." [Source: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641618937/no-amount-of-alcohol-is-good-for-your-health-global-study-claims https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641618937/no-amount-of-alcoho...]
  - Arnt 6y ago
    I've seen such studies too, and I'm sure that with sufficient discipline, you could manage something like a mediterranean diet (rich in pasta dishes, fruit, vegetables, low but not zero on meat) but without wine, without pancetta, without mozzarella, etc. But I don't think that's what mostly happens. The friends I've had over the years who started focusing on avoidance either failed (by giving up the attempt) or eventually ate mostly prefab food. Without alcohol, to be sure. Anecdote alert: I'm sure abstaining from alcohol hasn't hurt the acquaintance I saw this weekend, but she doesn't look healthy. She's focused on abstention, and IMNSHO a focus on abstention is not the path to a well-rounded diet. Neither is a beer can and a bag of peanuts, of course.
0x8BADF00D 6y ago
It makes sense if you think about it. Alcohol is a potent GABA receptor agonist, and will increase the amount of GABA in your brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. As soon as GABA wears off, it’s like a clamp being removed from the neurons. In alcoholics this becomes so extreme the neurons die off due to excitotoxicity (caused by upregulation of NMDA receptors). All that being said, there are better ways to enhance cognition. Like exercise. The conclusion should be “think harder when you’re drunk, as it will boost your baseline cognition” ;-)

Arnt 6y ago

It was funded by the Friends of a Mediterranean Diet Society ;) Make a proper dinner every day, with actual ingredients, eat it in peace, with a glass of wine. It'll do you good, and leave separating the effect of the wine from the effect of the other mediterranean staples to the pedants. https://www.amazon.com/fnord/dp/0091925320 https://www.amazon.com/fnord/dp/0091925320 for example.

jedimind 6y ago
The scientific research I read doesn't agree with that: "Countless scientific studies have espoused the idea that a glass of red wine a day can be good for the heart, but a new, sweeping global study published in The Lancet on Friday rejects the notion that any drinking can be healthy. No amount of alcohol is safe, according to The Global Burden of Diseases study, which analyzed levels of alcohol use and its health effects in 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. While the study's authors say that moderate drinking may safeguard people against heart disease, they found that the potential to develop cancer and other diseases offsets these potential benefits, as do other risks of harm. The report urges governments to revise health guidelines to suggest lower levels of consumption." [Source: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641618937/no-amount-of-alcohol-is-good-for-your-health-global-study-claims https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641618937/no-amount-of-alcoho...]
- Arnt 6y ago
  I've seen such studies too, and I'm sure that with sufficient discipline, you could manage something like a mediterranean diet (rich in pasta dishes, fruit, vegetables, low but not zero on meat) but without wine, without pancetta, without mozzarella, etc. But I don't think that's what mostly happens. The friends I've had over the years who started focusing on avoidance either failed (by giving up the attempt) or eventually ate mostly prefab food. Without alcohol, to be sure. Anecdote alert: I'm sure abstaining from alcohol hasn't hurt the acquaintance I saw this weekend, but she doesn't look healthy. She's focused on abstention, and IMNSHO a focus on abstention is not the path to a well-rounded diet. Neither is a beer can and a bag of peanuts, of course.

0x8BADF00D 6y ago

It makes sense if you think about it. Alcohol is a potent GABA receptor agonist, and will increase the amount of GABA in your brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. As soon as GABA wears off, it’s like a clamp being removed from the neurons. In alcoholics this becomes so extreme the neurons die off due to excitotoxicity (caused by upregulation of NMDA receptors). All that being said, there are better ways to enhance cognition. Like exercise. The conclusion should be “think harder when you’re drunk, as it will boost your baseline cognition” ;-)