Alcohol’s SURPRISING Role in Your Health, Longevity and PD

[Esperanto]

The widespread claims in the nutrition and longevity spaces that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption are total nonsense according to Chris Masterjohn PhD. In conclusion, the optimal dose of alcohol from the totality of the data appears to be in the range of 0.3-0.5 drinks per day, where the risk of total mortality bottoms out.

While there appears to be “no safe amount” for esophageal cancer, community-acquired pneumonia, nonmelanoma skin cancer, breast cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and liver cirrhosis, the opposite “no unsafe amount except zero” is found for chronic kidney disease, kidney stones, venous thromboembolism, endometrial cancer, and thyroid cancer.

Diabetes, glioma, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, and H. pylori bottom out around 1 drink per day. Cardiovascular disease bottoms out around 2 drinks per day. Erectile dysfunction stays lowered at up to 3 drinks per day. Depression bottoms out at 0.7 drinks per day.

While these are observational studies and can’t demonstrate cause and effect, cell and animal experiments provide reason to believe alcohol has hormetic effects at low doses mediated by improved activation of vitamin A and increased defense against reactive oxygen species.

A half a drink per day appears to be the average person’s optimal average, given the vast wealth of observational data suggesting total mortality and most disease risks are bottomed out here, and suggesting it is safe for brain volume and beneficial for dementia.

Finally a well-argued advice for alcohol consumption. Watch his enthusiastic video as usual:

youtube.com/watch?v=G4QzEel...(Not working as expected?)

For the written version, with somewhat more technical detail and links to all the references, see

chrismasterjohnphd.substack...

If you only consider Parkinson's disease (PD) when determining the dosage, it appears that 0.3 - 0.5 glass per day is insufficient. As also mentioned by Chris Masterjohn in his video, approximately 2 glasses per day are optimal for PD. This is supported by a meta-analysis suggesting that alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of PD.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

However, this presents a dilemma. Do you prioritize overall health or aim for a favorable impact on PD? A low dosage of alcohol seems to have a beneficial effect on both lifespan and PD. As a compromise, I opt for 1 glass of red wine, as recommended by the PRO diet by Mischley and the MIND diet. 🍷

[Dap1948]

Well thanks for that. My grandma was always a fan of ‘a little bit of what you fancy does you good’. It appears grandma was right! I will continue my half glass of red an evening, but now without guilt!🍷🤣

[Esperanto in reply to Dap1948]

Great that you don't have to engage in that discussion anymore. I have already sent the link to a number of power users and their 0/0 counterparts. My most appreciated low dose medicine 🍷

[pdpatient]

Great topic for PwP's to consider. Thank you for sharing.

[Esperanto]

I have tailored the previous post to focus more on PD. According to the research mentioned by Chris Masterjohn regarding the relationship between alcohol and PD, consuming 2 glasses of alcohol per day has a beneficial effect on the development of PD. It doesn't necessarily indicate the impact on symptoms, but a slightly higher alcohol dosage seems reasonable.

[LAJ12345]

I wonder if drinking red wine with food or washing down with water so alcohol doesn’t sit in mouth or gut would ameliorate the risks of alcohol on the oesophagus?

[Esperanto in reply to LAJ12345]

At the alcohol quantities recommended in the research, they are unlikely to be a major risk factor for esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer can have many causes, but in relation to alcohol, it is particularly GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and chronic acid reflux that can be dangerous. To play it safe, it is better to avoid alcohol with GERD or to choose a 'safe' alcohol for yourself; however, it is particularly the relationship with other triggers for GERD that is important.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Esperanto]

Thanks