4 ms·

This seems like a classic case of correlation vs causation (I only skimmed the abstract). Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into another tabloid article.

pesfandiar 4y ago
Right? Two obvious causal links would be stronger and more numerous social ties lead to both increased social drinking and decreased risk of dementia.
- maerF0x0 4y ago
  I am not qualified to read the data well, but one of my immediate thoughts was "Well if you live long enough you're basically guaranteed dementia, perhaps abstaining from alcohol helps you get that old?"
  - dTal 4y ago
    This would be a literal example of survivorship bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias
  - metadat 4y ago
    > Well if you live long enough you're basically guaranteed dementia Not true; I'm sure there is a relationship between age and prevalence of dementia, but it's far from a guarantee. I've known too many centennials of surprisingly sound mind, and they eventually start having falls and the body can't heal sufficiently to fully recover. Once the dementia sets in, though, that's another story. The aging process seems to advance quicker when dementia is present.
  - Axien 4y ago
    It has been shown moderate alcohol use increases lifespan.
  - hdjjhhvvhga 4y ago
    It's false because fairly low alcohol consumption correlates with a slighty longer life span: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11427-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11427-x (Unfortunately it increases the risk of some cancers, too.)
mellosouls 4y ago
Considering the number of authors, it might be more appropriate to default to an assumption of competence and basic knowledge of their subject in there somewhere.
yucky 4y ago
I always sort of assumed that since we know stress is a major factor in health, that moderate drinking probably has an overall beneficial effect due to the stress reduction, even if the physical effect of the alcohol itself is slightly negative. Like maybe you get a -2 modifier for consuming alcohol and a +5 modifier for stress reduction and so you end up ahead. Same goes for the likely added benefit to social interactions, unless you're drinking alone in the basement. Then again, I'm pretty far from a scientist so I'm just spit-balling here.

pesfandiar 4y ago

Right? Two obvious causal links would be stronger and more numerous social ties lead to both increased social drinking and decreased risk of dementia.

maerF0x0 4y ago
I am not qualified to read the data well, but one of my immediate thoughts was "Well if you live long enough you're basically guaranteed dementia, perhaps abstaining from alcohol helps you get that old?"
- dTal 4y ago
  This would be a literal example of survivorship bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias
- metadat 4y ago
  > Well if you live long enough you're basically guaranteed dementia Not true; I'm sure there is a relationship between age and prevalence of dementia, but it's far from a guarantee. I've known too many centennials of surprisingly sound mind, and they eventually start having falls and the body can't heal sufficiently to fully recover. Once the dementia sets in, though, that's another story. The aging process seems to advance quicker when dementia is present.
- Axien 4y ago
  It has been shown moderate alcohol use increases lifespan.
- hdjjhhvvhga 4y ago
  It's false because fairly low alcohol consumption correlates with a slighty longer life span: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11427-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11427-x (Unfortunately it increases the risk of some cancers, too.)

mellosouls 4y ago

Considering the number of authors, it might be more appropriate to default to an assumption of competence and basic knowledge of their subject in there somewhere.

yucky 4y ago

I always sort of assumed that since we know stress is a major factor in health, that moderate drinking probably has an overall beneficial effect due to the stress reduction, even if the physical effect of the alcohol itself is slightly negative. Like maybe you get a -2 modifier for consuming alcohol and a +5 modifier for stress reduction and so you end up ahead. Same goes for the likely added benefit to social interactions, unless you're drinking alone in the basement. Then again, I'm pretty far from a scientist so I'm just spit-balling here.