Days That End in Y

This has always been a cause that I could get behind: getting nutritional labels on beer, wine, and spirits. Aside from hangovers, the one thing that I’ve never liked about drinking is that you generally have no idea what’s truly in your drink. How many calories are there? What ingredients did they use? Is there fat in my beer (the answer better be no; otherwise, that’d be really disturbing)? Usually, information tends to be available for just for drinks like light beers, and well, there’s no way I’m sticking to light beers just to know what I’m drinking!

Anyway, the good news is recent research shows that the public agrees with me: they want labels on their drinks! The bad news is the behemoth U.S. government doesn’t appear to give a crap. If you want to make them listen, then I suggest you:

1. Read this latest press release.
2. Contact the TTB with your opinion.
3. Write your congressperson/senator/President/etc.

While this probably won’t be as popular an issue in the next election as, say, the economy, Iraq, or how much Bush sucks, I’d say it’s pretty darn important for all of us who enjoy ingesting the occasional (or regular) drink. Even a born-again teetotaler like Bush should be able to get on board a public health initiative like this one.

The proof: The combined influence of leisure-time physical activity and weekly alcohol intake on fatal ischaemic heart disease and all-cause mortality.

Basically, it boils down to this conclusion: Leisure-time physical activity and a moderate weekly alcohol intake are both important to lower the risk of fatal IHD and all-cause mortality.

What’s IHD? Just check out the Wikipedia article. IHD is the leading cause of death in Western nations, so this is pretty freaking important.

Like usual, moderation seems to be key. In this study, moderate drinking is defined as one to fourteen drinks a week.

Australian doctors at Mackay Base Hospital were treating an Italian man with pharmaceutical-grade alcohol after he ingested ethylene glycol. Unfortunately, they ran out of the medical booze, so they decided to place three shots of vodka per hour in his drip.

The man has made a full recovery.

I kid you not. The New York Times via the Seattle Post-Intelligence debunks the myth that alcohol can cure a cold but does conclude that alcohol may help prevent colds. Apparently, there were two legitimate medical studies that support this claim. A 1993 study at Carnegie Mellon found that moderate drinking was correlated with increased resistance to colds, and a 2002 study in Spain found that drinking 8-14 glasses of wine a week led to a nearly 60% decrease in the risk of catching a cold.

So the next time your boss catches you drinking at your desk, just explain that you’re decreasing the chances of your having to call in sick.

According to Queensland Brain Institute director Professor Perry Bartlett, drinking alcohol does not kill brain cells. If anything, it helps the brain by reducing the risk of dementia in old age.

Huzzah!

Italian researchers believe that both red and white wine make a good antibacterial mouthwashes. They can help fight tooth decay and cure sore throats.

Wine contains acids—particularly succinic, malic, lactic, tartaric, citric, and acetic—that inhibit the growth of several strains of strptococci bacteria involved in tooth decay and sore throat.

And like most other health benefits, red wine is better at this than white wine.

When people think of brandy, Cognac usually comes to mind first. However, perhaps you ought to be thinking of Armagnac instead, as scientists have found evidence that Armagnac specifically helps prevent heart disease and obesity.

Even more interestingly, people who live in Gascony (where Armagnac is made) live five years longer than the average Frenchman despite smoking cigarettes all day.