More than eight drinks a week for women and 15 drinks a week for men can get you into trouble, the CDC warned.
But that doesn't seem to jibe with other studies that found that drinking alcohol makes for better heart health, several Shots commenters noted. Shana Cuddy wrote:
"Interestingly, in another NPR article they say that moderate drinkers are healthier overall than folks who don't drink at all, and they define 'moderate drinker' as someone who has 3 or less drinks per day. This would be 21 drinks per week for women, which this story claims is well over twice the safe limit."
So can someone follow along with me to see what I'm missing:
NPR: 8 drinks a week for women
Why?
NPR: "To find out how the CDC came up with them, we talked with Lela McKnight-Eily, a health scientist at the CDC who is the lead author on the new study."
New study:
So… NPR says "two drinks a day are too many" because the CDC added 1 (one) question to an intake form for 5 (five) months in 2011 and came to the conclusion 1 in 4 "binge drinkers" talk about alcohol with their doctors, 1 in 6 "regular drinkers" and about 1 in 7 "non drinkers."
First thing: Okay….
Next thing: This isn't what we're supposedly talking about.
So, li'l story. Back in 2000 or so I went to see a doctor for a check up. First time I'd been in years, figured it was a good idea. Strange asian man, part of the UW health network, done in a strip mall next to Costco. And it was the damndest thing:
"Raise arm… don't do drug."
"Turn head, cough: always wear seat belt."
"Say aaah: always wear condom for sex. Don't get AIDS."
A couple years later I was going through records and mentioned this bizarre visit with my girlfriend, who had been a high-up software architect in the insurance industry. She laughed at me.
"Well, of course he did. Every single one of those PSAs is a box his secretary can check off on the form they're sending your insurance company. He's probably making thirty bucks for telling you to use a condom."
So you'll excuse me if I'm skeptical of this study's intended results, let alone NPR's projected results. For one thing, if their question isn't even granular enough for "did your doctor bilk your insurance company out of $30 by telling you not to drink too much" I'm unconvinced it's granular enough to be useful. One question on one form for five months? Puhhhleaze.
But to then extrapolate it out to "hey, we found a study that contraindicates every other study we've been trumpeting for the past ten years"?
Yeah, not buyin' it.