Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a brutal, chronic lung disease that is thought to afflict up to 24 million Americans, making it the third-leading cause of disease and death in the U.S. Of course, the mainstream blames virtually all lung diseases almost exclusively on smoking. And the natural “know-it-alls” hardly spend any time at all talking about them…or talking what a diagnosis means for you.
So, as usual, there’s a lot more to the story than what you’re being told. In fact, as a brand new study shows, something as simple and enjoyable as having a glass of wine or beer with dinner can significantly reduce your risk of developing COPD.
I’ll tell you all you need to know about that study in a moment. But first, let’s back up to talk about the overall benefits of drinking alcohol in moderation…
Moderation reduces stress and inflammation
For years, I’ve reported on the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. For one, the science shows it helps improve circulation, thereby reducing heart disease risk. Plus, by improving circulation, moderate alcohol consumption also benefits brain function. In fact, moderate drinkers are more likely to live to age 85 without getting dementia compared to teetotalers.
Research is also beginning to show that moderate alcohol consumption reduces chronic inflammation, which is at the root of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and heart disease.
Not to mention, moderate drinking reduces stress, which, when left unchecked, also causes chronic diseases. But since “stress” is more difficult to measure or manage in the mainstream paradigm, researchers prefer to identify inflammation as the culprit. Which is fine…since it’s really all connected anyway.
Moderate drinking protects against COPD
For the new study, researchers collected data on alcohol consumption for just over 44,000 men. Then, from 1998 to 2014, they followed the men to see who developed diseases.
Just over 2,000 men developed COPD. And it turns out there was a “J-shaped” association between total alcohol consumption and COPD risk. (There was also a “J-shaped” association between beer consumption, specifically, and COPD risk.)
This “J-shape” is a commonly seen association between risk factors and chronic disease outcomes. It basically means:
- There was higher COPD risk for zero or low alcohol consumption
- The lowest COPD risk was in the middle, with moderate alcohol consumption
- The highest COPD risk was with excess alcohol consumption
Interestingly, when it came to wine consumption, specifically, and COPD risk, there was a “U-shaped” association, which basically means:
- The lowest COPD risk was in the middle, with moderate alcohol consumption
- The highest COPD risk was with both zero or low wine consumption and excess wine consumption
These results don’t surprise me much, as both beer and wine contain healthy constituents. Among other beneficial compounds, wine contains antioxidants, which bestow many health benefits. And beer is high in B vitamins, which are important for heart, brain, and nervous tissue function. B vitamins also benefit the lungs and the cardio-pulmonary system.
Of course, medical science commonly studies the heart and blood vessels together as part of the cardiovascular system. But my medical school professors at the University of Pennsylvania—Domingo M. Aviado (pharmacology) and Alfred E. Fishman (physiology)—pointed out the importance of also pairing the heart and lungs together as part of the cardio-pulmonary system. I worked closely with both of them during my years at Penn.
Unfortunately, the mainstream neglects this system—especially when it comes to the nutritional and natural approaches that support it.
Definition of moderate drinking may be too low
Before I go, I should note that the researchers defined “moderate” consumption as four to six beers per week, or two to four glasses of wine per week.
But as I reported last year, these definitions do NOT reflect the actual science. In fact, other studies show that the best outcomes among older adults come from consumption that goes beyond what the National Institutes of Health considers as “moderate”—which is most often defined as enjoying one to two glasses daily.
In the end, we need to accept this study and others like it that show the clear health benefits to moderate drinking. Hopefully, they’ll continue to put a damper on all the unscientific nonsense of nanny, neo-prohibitionists who would try to ban all alcohol for everyone.
Of course, there are many additional ways to strengthen your lungs and protect yourself from lung diseases. In fact, you can learn all about the science-backed, natural ways to prevent and reverse lung disease in my brand new online learning tool, my Breath Better Lung Health Protocol. And I’m excited to announce its long-awaited release this weekend! Keep your eye out for an email with all of the details.
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Source:
“Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study of Men.” Am. J Epidemiol. 2019; 188(5): 907-916. doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwz020