Moderate alcohol consumption inversely correlated with all-cause mortality

My roommate recently sent me a review article that LW might find interesting:

Conclusions: Low levels of alcohol intake (1-2 drinks per day for women and 2-4 drinks per day for men) are inversely associated with total mortality in both men and women. Our findings, while confirming the hazards of excess drinking, indicate potential windows of alcohol intake that may confer a net beneficial effect of moderate drinking, at least in terms of survival.

Personal observation says that LWers tend not to drink very much or often. Perhaps that should change, to the degree suggested by the article?

Full article here.

My roommate recently sent me a review article that LW might find interesting:

Conclusions: Low levels of alcohol intake (1-2 drinks per day for women and 2-4 drinks per day for men) are inversely associated with total mortality in both men and women. Our findings, while confirming the hazards of excess drinking, indicate potential windows of alcohol intake that may confer a net beneficial effect of moderate drinking, at least in terms of survival.

Personal observation says that LWers tend not to drink very much or often. Perhaps that should change, to the degree suggested by the article?

Full article here.

Correlation does not imply causation and such. For the latter to be tested for, a randomized study that makes people change their drinking habits would be required. The hard part is blinding it, of course.

I don't think that the kind of people who are willing and able to take part in a randomized study of alcohol consumption are representative of the general population.

5paulfchristiano14y

Why do you have to blind it? To make it most realistic, you would not only give the treatment group alcohol, you would tell them that controlled trials suggest that this treatment (self-referentially) will reduce all-cause mortality.