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.

I'm extremely surprised by this. I can't see how walking can be that dangerous, provided you walk on sidewalks (or in pedestrian zones) and are careful when crossing the street. What population does the “eight times” statistic apply to?

The text is here. It's based on a couple of assumptions - that drivers and pedestrians are equally likely to be drunk, and that drunken trips are representative of all pedestrian trips. I doubt there's hard data out there on whether these things are true, since nobody does random checks of pedestrians.

provided you walk on sidewalks (or in pedestrian zones) and are careful when crossing the street.

I don't assume these things of sober pedestrians, let alone drunk ones. I assume people with impaired reflexes and judgement are more likely to cross the s... (read more)