A little Drinky Poo? Forget it!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...02/24/AR2009022402361.html?hpid=moreheadlines

So I will still on occasion drink my red wine as the age dates come due.

Did you know that the drinking guidelines were only intended to set an upper limit on what might be safe, not a recommended daily dose!

 

The problem I have with these types of studies is that while they may (depending on the academic discipline used) establish a COORELATION relationship between drinking alcohol and cancer, they don’t establish a CASUALITY relationship between drinking and cancer.

Post hoc ergo proctor hoc fallacy

 

I would assume (because I must have missed it in the story) that not everyone in the study who drank developed a cancer. I didn't see any stats there.

Seems that those people who like having an occasional drink and that now stop drinking entirely and who develop cancer in spite of not drinking (per the story 95% since only 5% of cancer is due to drinking) might be disappointed. Those who like an occasional drink and aren't likely to develop cancer at all and don't develop cancer would be even more disappointed.

Finally to take correlation a step further I would also assume (because I must have missed it in the story) that a subset of the drinkers who did get cancer could have developed cancer due to other causes that directly correlate with and contribute to drinking (e.g. stress, the economy, advertising, football, a relative, a hangover...).

Disclaimer... I'm not a doctor or statistician.

 

i wonder if this study was conducted by someone with stock in BEER or WHITE WINE??? lol

 

Always a good question to ask when ever anyone makes "recommendations" or "conclusions to studies". What is their stake in the outcome?