Overstating Your Conclusions, Beer and Aging
Published by Unknown on Thursday, February 09, 2006 at 1:54 PM.
There's a story in The Prague Monitor that says "Doctors say moderate beer drinkers age slower." I've seen a mention of this on almost every beer news site I've read today. The reactions have been exclusively enthusiastic. I haven't read the study, so I don't know if the 'beer slows aging' angle is present in the study, or if it's just sloppy reporting.
One hundred middle-aged Czech men were screened for normal kidney and liver function prior to the study. They abstained from alcohol for one month, and then had two glasses a day, totaling 0.8 liters for two-months. From the article it seems that they were then subjected to blood tests. At the end of the study the men had lower levels of "dangerous blood lipids", increased levels of good cholesterol, improved antioxidant protection and lower levels of free radicals (I'm not sure how you test for the last two). As a negative side effect the men gained weight.
This is a short study funded by a coalition of Czech brewers (take with a grain or two of salt), which finds that moderate beer consumption has a positive effect on levels of blood fat, and good cholesterol levels. However, according to the article:
What this study is:
A small study that shows that moderate beer consumption may help reduce the amount of fat in the blood, and raise levels of good cholesterol.
What this study isn't:
A long-term epidemiological study that conclusively proves that beer reduces the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
The moral:
Don't expect beer to be a fountain of youth. Also, take most science journalism with a large grain of salt.
One hundred middle-aged Czech men were screened for normal kidney and liver function prior to the study. They abstained from alcohol for one month, and then had two glasses a day, totaling 0.8 liters for two-months. From the article it seems that they were then subjected to blood tests. At the end of the study the men had lower levels of "dangerous blood lipids", increased levels of good cholesterol, improved antioxidant protection and lower levels of free radicals (I'm not sure how you test for the last two). As a negative side effect the men gained weight.
This is a short study funded by a coalition of Czech brewers (take with a grain or two of salt), which finds that moderate beer consumption has a positive effect on levels of blood fat, and good cholesterol levels. However, according to the article:
A study conducted by doctors who monitored nearly a hundred middle-aged men over the course of three months revealed that the moderate consumption of beer slows aging and reduces the likelihood of heart attacks and arteriosclerosis, the daily Plzensky denik reports today.This study only lasted three months, which is too short a time to accurately assess long-term changes in the likelihood of heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, or aging (granted there is a positive correlation between the effects observed and reduced risk of heart disease). So either the study or the journalists overstate their conclusions. Either it's misleading science or sloppy journalism. One should also take into account that the men drinking beer experienced weight gain, which in the long-term could negate any benefits of drinking beer.
What this study is:
A small study that shows that moderate beer consumption may help reduce the amount of fat in the blood, and raise levels of good cholesterol.
What this study isn't:
A long-term epidemiological study that conclusively proves that beer reduces the risk of heart attacks or heart disease.
The moral:
Don't expect beer to be a fountain of youth. Also, take most science journalism with a large grain of salt.
Labels: News
