Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 16 april 2018
When to say when: Study says limit alcohol to 1 drink a day

By MIKE STOBBE heart attack. But balanced
NEW YORK (AP) — Here's against the increased risk
some sobering news: A of a stroke and other heart
large international study problems, the impact of
says adults should average drinking more than seven
no more than one alcohol- drinks a week is more bad
ic drink per day, and that than good, said the study's
means drinking guidelines lead author, Dr. Angela
in many countries may be Wood of the University of
far too loose. Cambridge in England.
The study found that peo- Like most studies, this one
ple who down more than has flaws. It's not built to
seven drinks a week can make firm conclusions
expect to die sooner than about cause and effect.
those who drink less. Research that rolls togeth-
"What this is saying is, if er previous studies can be
you're really concerned problematic if they aren't
about your longevity, don't similar enough, though this
have more than a drink a one appears to have done
day," said David Jernigan, a a good job at overcoming
Johns Hopkins University al- that obstacle and com-
cohol researcher who was bining comparable data,
not involved in the study. Jernigan said.
While the U.S. government This June 16, 2016 file photo made with a fisheye lens shows bottles of alcohol during a tour of a Researchers relied on what
currently recommends no state liquor store in Salt Lake City. participants reported drink-
more than seven drinks a Associated Press ing at the start, recogniz-
week for women, the rec- ing that many people may
ommendation for men is 14 Department of Agriculture. day by the Lancet journal. cohol are generally found be lowballing how much
drinks. That's because earli- Some countries have much The research combined in a standard drink. In Brit- they actually down. And
er studies found women are higher ceilings. Spain and results from 83 studies con- ain, that's about six pints the study didn't account
hit by the effects of alco- Romania set the upper limit ducted in 19 countries, of beer a week. But in the for any changes in their
hol at lower amounts than for men at the equivalent tracking nearly 600,000 U.S., 100 grams is equiva- drinking habits. At O'Hara's
men for several reasons, in- of 20 drinks each week, for people who drank alcohol. lent to what's in seven Restaurant and Pub, a wa-
cluding women weigh less example. The researchers focused 12-ounces cans of beer, tering hole in lower Manhat-
than men on average and British guidelines were like on who developed — and 5-ounce glasses of wine, or tan, one patron shrugged
blood alcohol concentra- the U.S. standards until died from — stroke and dif- 1.5-ounce shots of rum, gin off the study and its recom-
tions rise faster. two years ago, when U.K. ferent forms of heart dis- or other distilled spirits. mendation. Shawn Free-
The new study estimates health officials brought the ease. They made a point of The researchers found a man, visiting from St. Louis,
that 40-year-old men who recommendation for men excluding people who had higher risk of stroke, heart said other things influence
drink as much as the cur- down to the level for wom- a known history of heart failure and other problems how much he drinks, like
rent U.S. guidelines allow en. problems at the time they in that group of heavier his mood and whether he'll
can expect to live one to The study "is a serious wake- had entered a study. drinkers. That may partly be driving. Another pa-
two years less than men up call for many countries," About half the partici- reflect that alcohol can el- tron, Jaussi Ruotsalainen,
who have no more than Jeremy Pearson of the Brit- pants said they had more evate blood pressure and a tourist from Finland, said
seven drinks per week. ish Heart Foundation said than 100 grams of alcohol alter cholesterol levels, the he rarely drinks because
Canada and Sweden in a statement. The group a week. There's variation researchers said. he has two young kids at
have guidelines similar to partly funded the study, from country to country as Notably, the heavier drink- home. "That takes care of
those in the U.S. set by the which was published Thurs- to how many grams of al- ers were less likely to have a it," he said.q

Fish oil capsules don't help dry

eye symptoms, study finds

By The Associated Press to a scientific test. mon in women and with
Many doctors recommend About 14 percent of U.S. age, and is related to in-
them, but fish oil supple- adults have dry eye, which flammation.
ments failed to help peo- causes pain and vision Omega-3 fatty acids in fish
ple with dry eye when put problems. It's more com- oil may reduce inflamma-
tion, so doctors thought
they might help more than
the artificial tears, eye-
drops and other treatments
patients use now.
A federally funded study
gave 500 people daily dos-
es of fish oil or dummy cap-
sules.
After one year, dry eye This Thursday, April 12, 2018 photo shows the eye of a woman
symptoms were similar in in New York.
both groups.q Associated Press