Two months ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shut down a study investigating the cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.
Of course, for years the preponderance of previously published evidence has clearly shown that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of heart disease, our nation’s No. 1 killer. And pulling the plug on this study reflects a serious, systemic problem that seems to be growing, as I’ll explain in a moment.
Science on moderate alcohol consumption is solid
Much of mainstream medicine still views this connection as a “paradox.”
But it’s no real surprise to me that moderate drinkers develop less cardiovascular disease and live longer…
I suppose it helps to understand the real cause of heart disease first…
It isn’t primarily salt, cholesterol, dairy, eggs, meat, smoking, obesity, or any other favorite factor targeted by the government.
Stress is the real cause of heart disease.
It causes high blood pressure — and contributes to the chronic inflammation, which ultimately lead to heart disease and the other chronic diseases of our time. (Stress also causes so-called “autoimmune” diseases, as I’ll discuss tomorrow.)
Because moderate drinking promotes relaxation and reduces stress, it seems obvious to me that moderate drinkers would also have lower heart disease rates.
In fact, even before we had well-designed studies on the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, we knew about it clinically in medical circles…
During the 1970s, at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, we saw how patients who drank alcohol had decreased risk of heart disease. And keep in mind, this was based on decades of clinical observations on hundreds of thousands of patients.
And recent evidence shows that moderate alcohol consumption can even benefit brain health. In fact, late last year, I reported on a powerful study showing that moderate drinkers were half as likely as non-drinkers to get dementia.
Granted, the cancelling of the NIH study indeed has me concerned. But for a reason you might not expect…
Science be darned
As I said earlier, a wealth of published evidence illustrates a clear connection between moderate alcohol consumption and lower heart disease risk.
But the problem we’re seeing lately is that a new generation of prohibitionists deny — and even cover up — the science on the benefits of alcohol. Now, they’ve even worked to needlessly shut down quality studies like this one to prevent the science from muddying their message. And it’s all because they seek to control all behaviors in all people that they deem “dangerous.”
I’ve seen these kinds of real “science deniers” before…
Twenty-five years ago, anti-tobacco activists in Washington, D.C., threw out all the evidence showing that light-to-moderate smokers (less than half a pack a day) maintained a healthier weight than non-smokers. Plus, they were as healthy overall as non-smokers.
In 1989, I worked with a team of researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to publish these findings in the American Journal of Public Health.
(To read more about this, revisit the December 2014 issue of Insiders’ Cures, my monthly newsletter. I discuss the science, the motive behind this monumental government misstep, and natural ways to prevent lung cancer in the article titled, “Lung cancer: one of the government’s biggest betrayals against the American public.” Not a subscriber? Just click here.)
In fact, I’m still friends with the lead researcher who’s still at NCI. And he’s coming for another visit next month. We don’t talk about that study anymore.
But you can bet we’ll light up a cigar together on the front deck after dinner!
The drastic consequences of a “health crisis” cover-up
In the late 1980s and early 90s, the anti-tobacco activists also sought to cover up the data showing that only 10 percent of heavy smokers ever get serious lung diseases — including lung cancer.
Plus, we have long known that some people possess a genetic variant affecting their susceptibility to smoke. And people with this “defective” gene variant are more sensitive to even moderate levels of smoke inhalation.
So, just think about that…
If the NCI had continued pursuing the real science 30 years ago, instead of conceding to the anti-tobacco activists, doctors could routinely perform genetic screenings for people to see if they are at risk of developing smoking-related lung diseases.
Instead, we blanket the entire population with non-scientific, politically correct, behavior-control programs.
I now see the same thing happening with alcohol consumption…
NIH shuts down study on benefits of moderate alcohol
In my view, the NIH shut down the long, prospective study on the cardiovascular effects of moderate alcohol consumption because it would have provided definitive proof of what other, smaller studies have shown for years.
As far as I’m concerned, the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial (MACH15) never had a chance.
NIH director-for-life Francis Collins said they had to shut down MACH 15 because the NIH scientists spoke to representatives in the alcohol industry, which also provided some of the funding.
Come on!
If government researchers weren’t allowed to talk to big pharma — much less accept their funding — there would be zero research on — or approval of — new drugs.
The FDA’s government researchers practically feed off big pharma! What a joke!
The happy hour for your heart
When it comes to happy hour and your cardiovascular health, I recommend sticking with the science, where you simply can’t go wrong.
I recommend practicing moderate alcohol consumption. One recent study indicated that health benefits are obtained from “light-to-moderate” drinking. For men, this was defined as 14 drinks (or less) per week, and no more than seven drinks a week for women.
To learn more natural, sensible lifestyle strategies for achieving optimal heart health, refer to my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. Click here for more information or to enroll today.
Source:
“NIH Pulls Funding for Prospective Trial Exploring CV Effects of Moderate Alcohol Intake,” Medscape (www.medscape.com) 6/20/2018