Drink For Your Heart But Abstain For Cancer?

[Guest]

Drink for Your Heart but Abstain for Cancer?

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPre...9629&page=1

For years they've been telling us a glass of red wine a day is healthy for your heart. Now they are saying that drinking alcohol raises the cancer risk. It sounds like a good reason to keep your alcohol consumption down to a minimum. As anything in life it's all about balance.

"Even moderate alcohol consumption of more than two drinks a week may raise the risk of cancer, according to a new study, despite past research suggesting that light drinking can benefit your health. So what's the truth"?

"The latest piece of evidence on the risks of drinking alcohol comes from researchers at Oxford University who studied more than 1.2 million women in the United Kingdom. They found that drinking alcohol may account for about 13 percent of all breast , liver, rectal and upper digestive tract cancers in women".

"More shocking, even small amounts of alcohol seemed to increase the cancer risk. When compared with women who drank two or fewer alcoholic beverages per week, those drinking up to six alcoholic beverages had a 2 percent greater risk for cancer in general; those consuming between seven and 14 drinks per week had a 5 percent increased risk for cancer; and those consuming 15 or more per week had a 15 percent increased risk for cancer".

Alcohol for a Healthy Heart?

"A study published in the British Medical Journal in May 2006 found that women who drank alcohol at least one day a week had about a 35 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease than women who drank alcohol less than once a week. For men, however, those who drank daily saw the largest reduction in risk when compared with nondrinkers -- about 41 percent".

What are your thoughts?

Laura

[Guest April63]

Well, alcohol kills bacteria by dehydrating them. Shouldn't it do the same in us? By drinking alcohol we are killing our own cells. The premature cell death could cause us to age faster to a point where we may be more susceptible to cancer. Or perhaps cancer tumors could accidentally develop as the body tries to quickly replace dead cells. I never thought alcohol was a good idea. yuck

April

[Sally]

With a rather long history of actual alcoholics on both sides of my family, my parents decided that they never wanted to tempt the fates and I felt that it was good thinking, the way the body processes alcohol, like everything else is different for different people and my family's history makes me think that I would not be able to handle it too well. So much like smoking and drugs, I decided that the best thing to do was never start.

Love ya,

Sober Sally

I am to young to have ever met Carrie Nation and was never a member of the Temperance Movement, don't let the old photographs fool you!

[Guest OneOutOfnOne]

Oh good... I was worried from the title that you were going to advise abstaining from something else in order to prevent cancer.

[Guest mia 1]

Confused in Colorado writes......Dear Laura so is there are a trade off keep your heart strong so you can fight off the effects of chemo therapy?

The study seems valid with all quantity of subjects, and the time spent..but what's a woman to do.......Not funny, serious I know, but still confusing....Mia

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Woody Allen - old movie called "Sleeper," woke up in the future - he didn't feel good, so they gave him a cigarette, saying, "We now know this is the healthiest thing for you!"

Woody Allen humor, but the point is health care theory is like the weather in Louisiana (Texas - Boston whereever) - stay around long enough and it will change. So I suppose - to quote a wise physician here where I live, "You pays your nickle, and you takes your chance."

I think its like the Chinese advocate - 'moderation in all things.' Would make a great fortune cookie saying.

God gives us the ability to use certain tools. TNT, Nuclear Energy, Windex. So if we have alcohol, what is it to be used for? And even heroin and cocaine are really medicines. It's the excesses that cause problems.

Windex inhaled in large quantities isn't a good idea. (A joke people, a joke - lessens the tension - awwww no fun if I have to explain...)

So I say - you will be dead in a hundred years, just about the time they have all the answers - we just muddle through, best we can. So have your little glass of red wine before supper! For the digestion - as it were... (old way - we now say for the heart)

Opinionated as usual but sober as a judge* ha! - Lizzy

*most judges - some judges - many judges, awwww who knows - where's my coffee (stop it - had too much already)

[Guest]

I thought it was interesting that a cardiologist would tell you to have 7 glasses of red wine a week while a cancer Doctor would tell you no more than 2. I suspect that they will get their act together with more study. What's new is that for the first time they show that even small amounts of alcohol can increase your cancer risks. That I didn't know. Plus the amounts seem to depend on whether you are a man or a woman. As with anything moderation is the key. I mean is there really that much difference if you have 2 drinks a week or 7? Both are relatively small amounts.

With my health issues my doctor has made me more aware of my diet since I am a type 2 diabetic too. Having a candy bar doesn't change my sugar but have a pasta dinner and i have to adjust the next day because it increases a lot. I do read labels on food now religiously. If you have eggs a couple times a week it's good for you but if you have them daily your chloresterol goes up and contributes to heart risk. Just being aware of what we eat or drink can help us make healthier choices. As I write this though i've had my eye on a new bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses. Yum . Two things i couldn't do without are my coffee and my chocolate. Meanwhile my 86 year old diabetic mother doesn't get it. She thinks the desert exceptions are a daily rule. After meals in the nursing home she rides in her wheelchair trading for as many deserts as she can. It's why her blood sugar is so high she needs insulin all the time. She knows better but her sweet tooth is not easily satisfied. As for me I still smoke like a fiend despite knowing the risks and dangers. That's my next nut to crack.

Laura

[Guest Elizabeth K]

I thought it was interesting that a cardiologist would tell you to have 7 glasses of red wine a week while a cancer Doctor would tell you no more than 2. I suspect that they will get their act together with more study. What's new is that for the first time they show that even small amounts of alcohol can increase your cancer risks. That I didn't know. Plus the amounts seem to depend on whether you are a man or a woman. As with anything moderation is the key. I mean is there really that much difference if you have 2 drinks a week or 7? Both are relatively small amounts.

With my health issues my doctor has made me more aware of my diet since I am a type 2 diabetic too. Having a candy bar doesn't change my sugar but have a pasta dinner and i have to adjust the next day because it increases a lot. I do read labels on food now religiously. If you have eggs a couple times a week it's good for you but if you have them daily your chloresterol goes up and contributes to heart risk. Just being aware of what we eat or drink can help us make healthier choices. As I write this though i've had my eye on a new bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses. Yum . Two things i couldn't do without are my coffee and my chocolate. Meanwhile my 86 year old diabetic mother doesn't get it. She thinks the desert exceptions are a daily rule. After meals in the nursing home she rides in her wheelchair trading for as many deserts as she can. It's why her blood sugar is so high she needs insulin all the time. She knows better but her sweet tooth is not easily satisfied. As for me I still smoke like a fiend despite knowing the risks and dangers. That's my next nut to crack.

Laura

Laura - as a type II myself I need to say something here. I am not that critical with my diabetes, but its been a real problem for about seven years - mine is a resistance to insulin production by my body. My endo says my pancreas was working as hard as it could and was wearing out. So he said - we would give it a rest. I tried 3 1/2 years of treating it with diet and exercise (my primary physician was treating me - I didn't have my endo then). It worked well for a while, then pretty well, then not so well, then not at all. So My wife FORCED me to go see her endocrinologist (she has thyroid imballance) and he turned it all around. He put me on insulin - not much but enough. He said with luck that will keep me for a long time. I will not go into dosages - even if this is NOT HRT - it isn't good policy. You certainly may PM me if you need details.

But to the point. Laura, I have been on a diet for seven years - and I know you have additional medical problems which affect your cardiac system - so this may not be right for you. As with all dieters I am CONVINCED this thing works for me, so here goes.

What startled me was your confession about sugar cravings. In my diet? NEVER eat sugar by design, and there is enough hidden sugar in everything to watch out for. Before I went to my endo - I would cheat with chocolate and other sweets - just a touch (my weakness - yum) but now? NO NADA NO WAY. I use a no white rule - no potatos, no rice, no sugar, no white bread, no pasta, .... and no fun - yikes its difficult - I know.

Laura - I feel so much BETTER! Its like having a curtin lifted it's so much different. It is worth the effort a 1000 times over.

Now everyone dies in my family of stroke - not heart disease (I do family history) so I have to watch my blood pressure more than anything, but I am not dumb, I watch my cholesterol also. No white foods has helped me reduce even those risks - so look up 'Sugar-Busters.' I use a modified version of my own device, but the basics are there. Also, it explains the theory of deleting sugars. And it is an easy diet to follow, and most interestingly, it was originally developed for diabetes - type I. They found it worked as a weight loss diet as well.

Laura - PLEASE forget the pure sugar, which is candy, cookies, donuts and the like. I have a trick, where I say sugar is actually TOXIC WASTE.

We want you around - we want you feeling as well as you can feel. I have seen you angry and it is not a pretty sight! Grin - I can say that - what happpens - you fire me? You don't pay me much anyway - hey, you don't pay me AT ALL!

Darn - Laura - I would work for you if I had to PAY YOU (now there's a money making idea for the site!) No - seriously - just what you hear all the time - not a big deal, so you just probably saved my life having this site. Just a bit of fawning there - but Laura - it's genuine! So to repay that I work hard to help others - and I bleed with them a bit - so it's not without a price - but the rewards are so great.

Okay I said a bunch. I never speak with you - so KNOW I am concerned about this chocoholic / sugar thing you got going on - when I break that silence. TOXIC WASTE- remember - TOXIC WASTE.

So STOP IT!

Loves my Laura - thanks for being in my life.

Lizzy

OH - I think red wine is fine in moderation - I mean don't finish off a new bottle by yourself or anything. And alcohol really messes up my insulin and HRT absorbtion rates - but hey - gotta enjoy life once-in-a-while.