Stanton, Are there any positive effects of drinking alcohol?
Dear Al: There are many. The primary health benefits that have been noted from alcohol are a reduction in coronary heart disease, the number one killer in America, and the reduction in ischemic stroke, or stroke due to occlusion of the arteries in the brain due to plaque build up, which is the number three killer. Because of alcohol’s beneficial effects in these two areas, moderate drinkers on average live longer than abstainers. Yes, Al, abstinence from alcohol is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and as a result for premature death. Public health agencies have been so flamboozled by this finding that they constantly seek to understate it (this process is currently taking place in the formulation of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are released by the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services every five years).
