Drinking Your Way to Health? Perhaps Not

SUNDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Just about every month -- if not every week -- a new study emerges touting the health benefits to be gained from a daily glass of wine or a pint of dark beer.

The benefits related to cardiovascular health have become well-known. A study released in mid-July, for instance, found that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in women by increasing the amount of "good" cholesterol in the bloodstream and reducing blood sugar levels.

But other studies have linked a daily drink, most often wine, to reduced risk of dementia, bone loss and physical disabilities related to old age. Wine also has been found to increase life expectancy and provide potential protection against some forms of cancer, including esophageal cancer and lymphoma.

But don't invest in that case of Pinot noir just yet.

Experts with the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association say that though these studies do show some benefits to moderate drinking, the health risks from alcohol consumption far outweigh the potential rewards.

Drinking any alcohol at all is known to increase your risk for contracting a number of types of cancer, said Susan Gapstur, vice president of epidemiology for the American Cancer Society. These include cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon/rectum and breast.

"At the end of the day, if you are at very high risk for cancer, you might want to limit your alcohol consumption even further," Gapstur said. "It's a lifestyle modification you can make, and we don't have as many lifestyle modifications for preventing cancer as we do for coronary heart disease."

There also are other health risks from moderate drinking, including liver damage and accidents caused by impaired reflexes, said Dr. Jennifer Mieres, director of nuclear cardiology at the New York University School of Medicine and an American Heart Association spokeswoman.

The health benefits from drinking generally are related to the antioxidants and anti-inflammatories found in red wines and dark beers, Mieres said, but those substances can be found in a number of different fruits and vegetables.

"When it comes to disease prevention, you're better off changing your diet to include fruits and vegetables and get your antioxidants and anti-inflammatories from natural sources," she said.

For example, people can get resveratrol -- the antioxidant found in red wine that's believed to provide most of the drink's health benefits -- from drinking grape juice just as well as from drinking wine, Mieres said.

"For people that don't drink, not drinking is important," Mieres said. "You can get the same benefits of drinking from leading a heart-healthy lifestyle. To me, it's not worth the risk to start drinking. But for people who enjoy a glass of red wine or enjoy drinking, the key is to stick to the definition of moderation," she said.

Moderate drinking is defined as one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. What counts as one drink are:

• 12 ounces of regular beer or wine cooler
• 8 ounces of malt liquor
• 5 ounces of wine
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor

Drinking anything more than that on a daily basis is known to lead to a host of health problems that can reduce your life expectancy, Mieres and Gapstur said.

"I think the take-home message is, if you don't drink, don't start to help protect yourself from coronary heart disease because there are so many other things you can do," Gapstur said. "If you already drink, you might want to limit your consumption."

Though the studies touting the positive health effects of alcohol are scientifically accurate, they also appear to play into people's desires for quick fixes to complex problems, Mieres said.

"To prevent heart disease, 50 percent of the work has to come from you," she said. "Prevention is a big piece, and you have to be accountable. You have to make lifestyle changes, and that's very tough to do. People look for easy ways to get heart-healthy benefits, and drinking is an easy way to do that. It's a known human tendency: Let's find an easy way out that doesn't involve a lot of thought or work."

‘Manny Pacquiao to stop Miguel Cotto’

Manny Pacquiao will stop Miguel Cotto in their November 14 showdown in Las Vegas. That’s according to 51% of respondents on my poll so far (to vote, click here).
The next biggest block of voters, at 25%, believe the Pacman will win the fight on points; then 12% are backing Cotto to stop Pacquiao; 8% are going with a draw and then finally 4% see a Cotto victory on points.
Another way of interpreting the results is that 63% reckon the fight won’t go the distance.
Right now, I’m sitting on the fence. I want to see the photos (and hopefully some video footage too) from the weigh-in to check how drawn Cotto is. That’s when I’ll make make my final pick.
But if a gun were placed to my head and I were forced to choose, I’d have to go with Pacquiao … but only just.
The only certainty is that this bout will be far more competitive than Pacquiao v Ricky Hatton, and even Floyd Mayweather v Juan Manuel Marquez for that matter.
And that’s what we boxing fans want from boxing – a fair fight; not something we know the result beforehand. Mind you, no matter the result of Pacquiao-Cotto, there’s going to be a chunk of supporters who’ll be able to say: “I told you so!”
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BIR plans school for its staff

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is planning to put up a school that will educate and upgrade the tax assessment and collection skills of the agency's personnel, BIR Senior Deputy Commissioner Joel Tan-Torrres said on Friday.
Tan-Torres said the creation of the Philippine Tax Academy will enhance the skills and develop the expertise of BIR officials and personnel.
Congress is now deliberating on a bill creating the academy and defining its powers and functions.
Under the proposed measure, the academy shall serve as the primary training school for selected applicants and continuing good education and training for tax collectors and administrators.
Tan-Torres described the proposed academy as a welcome development, saying it will be a catalyst for improving the country's tax administration system.
"This academy will directly help improve the BIR's collection efficiency, lessen bureaucratic red tape, revive the integrity of the tax service and boost the morale of revenue personnel," he said.
Tan-Torres said the measure will put the Philippines at par with other developed countries that have greatly benefitted from the creation of their respective tax academies.
"We see that the more successful tax organizations in Asia have training facilities, structured programs for training their personnel, and dedicated and well-equipped campuses manned by qualified and permanent faculty," the revenue official said.

Senators question presidential survey

Some senators on Thursday questioned the results of the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) presidential survey where Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III came out as the top preferred presidential candidate for the May 2010 elections.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. described as “vague’’ the formula used in the survey.
Aquino came out as one of the top three choices to best succeed President Arroyo, garnering 60 percent preferential votes among 1,800 respondents of the survey.
Senator Manuel Villar Jr., Nacionalista Party president and standard-bearer, who used to dominate opinion surveys slid down to number 2 with a wide margin of difference from Aquino, garnering 37 percent. They were followed by former president Joseph Estrada with 18 percent and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero with 15 percent.
Vice President Noli De Castro Jr. who also previously consistently topped in the last seven surveys unusually dropped from the ranks with an 8 percent ranking, followed by Sen. Loren Legarda (5 percent), Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro (4 percent).
Lagging at the tail end of the survey are Panfilo Lacson, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Metropolitan Manila Development Chairman Bayani Fernando, and Jesus is Lord Movement (JIL) leader Eddie Villanueva.
Pimentel said it is a big question whether Aquino’s popularity ratings is as “genuine” as indicated in the survey.
“Malabo ang survey. Ok, popular si Noynoy pero ganoon ba ka popular? (The survey is vague. Yes, Noynoy is popular but how popular is he really?),” Pimentel said in a text message.
“Maybe so, maybe not,” added Pimentel who served as Interior and Local Government Secretary of Aquino’s mother, former President Corazon Aquino.
While also frowning at the latest SWS survey, Sen. Panfilo Lacson for his part said he finds it “too early” for Aquino to surge in the opinion polls.
If there is one thing that Aquino should be careful of, it would be the possibility of Sen. Francis Escudero coming into the picture.
Lacson also said that there are seven months more to go before the May, 2010, elections and Aquino could be facing a huge threat in the form of Escudero as the “trending” in the presidential race could change.
Escudero, according to Lacson, has the potential to supersede Aquino’s ratings in the presidential surveys even if the neophyte senator has not yet declared his presidential plans.

Obama defends himself against New Orleans critics

NEW ORLEANS – Insisting he's "just getting started," President Barack Obama defended his administration Thursday against complaints from some residents of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast that federal help in recovering from the 2005 disasters hasn't improved much since he took office.
"We've got a long way to go but we've made progress," Obama told a town hall at the University of New Orleans. "We're working as hard as we can and as quickly as we can."
As a candidate, Obama criticized former President George W. Bush's response to Katrina, when the government showed up late and unprepared and the Federal Emergency Management Agency became the object of widespread scorn.
The storm killed some 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi — and damage has been estimated at roughly $40 billion. The damage is still starkly visible in New Orleans — in blighted neighborhoods of creaky houses, boarded-up businesses, structure after structure awaiting demolition and critical recovery work not yet started.
Obama wanted to use his first visit as president to the Gulf Coast to listen to residents' concerns about the recovery effort. And although most questions were on unrelated subjects, one man gave him an earful.
"I expected as much from the Bush administration, but why are we still being nickeled and dimed in our recovery?" asked Gabriel Bordenave, 29, of New Orleans.
"I wish I could write a blank check," Obama replied, promoting Bordenave to shout back, "Why not?"
Obama claimed progress since he entered the White House in January. He cited reconstruction projects that have moved forward after having been stalled by disagreements over whether the state or federal government would foot the bill. FEMA is working "around the clock to clear up red tape and to eliminate bureaucracy on backlogs that go back years," he said.
According to FEMA, 76 of the 120 Louisiana reconstruction projects that were stuck at the beginning of his presidency have been resolved, sending more than $1.4 billion in additional federal aid to Louisiana.
"I know since a lot of these problems have been going on since Katrina, people understandably feel impatient," Obama told the crowd of several hundred who won tickets in an Internet lottery to attend. "On the other hand, a lot of these things are not going to be fixed tomorrow."
Obama said officials from his administration have made 35 trips to the Gulf Coast since March — and "not just to make appearances, but to listen and to learn and help you move forward."
In his opening remarks, Obama acknowledged residents' frustration about the pace of recovery. As evidence, he cited firefighters working from a trailer at a newly reopened school in the Lower Ninth ward that he visited earlier Thursday.
"It's clear how far we have to go before we can call this recovery a success," Obama said, noting sewers and roads that still need repair, houses and hospitals that are still vacant and schools and neighborhoods still waiting to thrive.
"I promise you this ... we will not forget about New Orleans. We are going to keep on working. We will not forget about the Gulf Coast," Obama said, adding later: "I'm just getting started. I'm not tired."
He also promised better emergency preparation so that the kind of devastation wrought by the hurricane is never repeated. And he announced a new working group to coordinate restoration projects across the Gulf Coast.
Obama spent fewer than four hours in New Orleans before heading to San Francisco for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. The brief visit brought some criticism, but New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defended the president.
"People say he's going to be here a short little time, that's true," Nagin said. "Don't be fooled. This administration is focused on New Orleans."
The administration's recovery efforts have drawn praise from Republicans, too, including Gov. Bobby Jindal. Jindal has credited Obama's team with bringing a more practical and flexible approach to the process. "There's a sense of momentum and a desire to get things done," he said in August.
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Associated Press Writers Cain Burdeau, Becky Bohrer and Mike Kunzelman in New Orleans contributed to this report.