I am fucking sick of the nanny state and hope that Congress refuses to label booze in a similar manner as tobacco. I’m guessing the incoming Congress won’t.
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Makes me wonder what’s the overall increase in risk of cancer for someone with 2 or all 3 issues. Has to be brutal.
As a female wine drinker, I’m mindful of the evidence of increased risk, but not alarmed by it. It’s a little like risk in one’s portfolio - we all decide on our risk tolerance/appetitie based on factors like age, circumstances, overal comfort etc. If I took no risk in my portfolio, I probably wouldn’t have enough to retire on. If I take too much, I run the risk of unacceptable loses. And regardless of the care taken, a black swan event could come out of the blue and wipe you out.
When it comes to health, circumstances and other choices and context matter. I work very hard to maintain a healthy weight, and have my entire life, as well as taking care of my metabolic health. I exercise for both VO2 max and strength, monitor bone mineral density, have almost no visceral fat, have an Appendicular Lean Mass Index of 8, eat exceptionally well, get good sleep, try and reduce stress, have close and meaningful relationships, get all my preventive and diagnostic testing done…I’ve given up all sorts of things that could be risky to my health, most of them without a backward glance. But I love wine. It makes me happy, brings me together with loved ones, keeps my mind occupied and engaged, brings me incredible pleasure, takes me to interesting places. I am okay with the risk in the context of my life. I drink less than I used to because it affects me more than it used to. If that continues, I’ll make changes. Right now, I feel comfortable with my choices, even having read and understood the evidence of risk.
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This makes sense to me. I was talking to my wife today about it and I’m gonna drop down to the weekends, plus maybe a weeknight if my groups happen to meet. But beyond that, and akin to an overall healthy approach as explained by Sarah (which I am already very committed to anyway), I’ll make the flip this week and get going.
I’m currently watching a good friend go through 1x wk chemo and 5x a week radiation, over a 5 week course. Seeing him go through this, with a port for chemo and a tube in his stomach for feeding (should he need because of the throat swelling), it’s an added perspective for me that his challenge has also made me think more about this topic. He has throat cancer.
@Jeff_Vaughan would be great to see you again one of these days. Having good souls around (as much as Sean was before he moved), is a great medicine for the soul. Happy new year to both of you guys.
Yes, I disagree. a lot of the researchers they chose to commission the study are the authors of these questionable studies showing benefit of drinking moderate alcohol.
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I imagine southern and the alcohol lobby will get out their checkbooks. I doubt they will label it as such.
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Aren’t there several studies demonstrating that alcohol consumption is also a significant risk factor for esophageal cancer?
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I don’t think it will happen. Tobacco is 20x the carcinogen wine might be.
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Yes, but it’s usually at high levels and the overall magnitude of the effect is rare, it’s also a pretty rare cancer. Alcohol/smoking related head and neck cancer and HPV-associated (p16+) head and neck cancer are usually thought of as different entities so I’m not sure if there’s any overlap. More h&n cancers are related to HPV than not.
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Watch. National distributors and some states will claim that interstate shipping of carcinogenic booze is an evil from which the public need be protected.
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I assume that someone has analyzed cancer rates among Amish, Mennonite, Muslim, and other abstinent communities. Presumably they are lower to a statistically significant degree. Confounding variables, for sure, but you’d think that if alcohol were causally related to elevated cancer risk you’d see marked differences
Well, all cause mortality goes down with moderate consumption…
Accidental duplicate.
There are 6 studies in the cohort they analyzed and 4 were funded by alcohol manufacturers.
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Pick your poison.
Are you stopping?
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Drinking regularly, yes.
At this point we drink pretty maybe once or twice a month. I’ll do events every month or two, that’s about it.
I do think the likely some element of dose dependence and it would be nice to have more research in this area.
I think adults should do whatever they want.
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I appreciate and welcome such a warning.
I mean, were it not for the current warning on my bottle of wine I’d be out operating heavy equipment after just two glasses of Oregon Pinot Noir . . . .
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Let’s face it if you get severe reflux from alcohol and develop Barrett’s from that and irritate your larynx, your cancer risk is much higher than those that don’t have these problems. Laryngeal and esophageal cancers are more common. Alcohol definitely makes reflux worse. Some of the other data is a little soft to me but I will take it at face value.
Exposure to second hand smoke increases your risk. Eating nuts expecially peanuts with aflatoxin will increase liver cancer. That is a problem. Exposure to certain environmental toxins from chemical dumps increases your risk.
Alcohol is bad for this too if you have the bad genes. Sex with a partner that has HPV increases your risk of laryngeal cancer and if you are a woman cervical cancer by an astronomical amount.
I do think you have to pick your risk and like Michael says adults should do whatever they want.
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I appreciate the info, but I just can’t like this.
BTW, bring back Thomas Jefferson. We need some wine drinking presidents. Both our present and future president do not drink at all.
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