Should You Drink More Alcohol and Coffee, and Get Fat to Live Longer?

[deluxestogie]

Drink more alcohol and coffee, and get fat, to live past 90?

My initial thoughts on this widely publicized study were that the news outlets were misinterpreting the findings of the study. That appears to be the case. Here is the original summary of the study results from The UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders:
http://www.mind.uci.edu/research-studies/90plus-study/

1. People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained.
   [*]People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did.
   [*]Over 40% of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled. Both are more common in women than men.
   [*]About half of people with dementia over age 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss.
   [*]People aged 90 and older with an APOE2 gene are less likely to have clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, but are much more likely to have Alzheimer’s neuropathology in their brains.

My commentary:

• Finding 1: Note the words “moderate” and “or”. Also, why did those who croaked sooner abstain? Did they have complicating health issues that led them (or their physicians) to decide it would be better for them to abstain from coffee and alcohol? This finding (point 1) may simply be a sampling of old people who have enjoyed prior good health, in which case, their greater longevity would be no surprise.
• Finding 2: This is not likely what it appears to be. From the 2014 article in Aging Cell: “Although a recent meta-analysis suggests that overweight individuals have significantly lower overall mortality than normal-weight individuals, these data are likely to be an artifact produced by serious methodological problems, especially confounding by smoking, reverse causation due to existing chronic disease, and nonspecific loss of lean mass and function in the frail elderly. From a clinical and public health point of view, maintaining a healthy weight through diet and physical activity should remain the cornerstone in the prevention of chronic diseases and the promotion of healthy aging.”
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4032609/
  What that’s saying is that old people who are not healthy tend to lose weight, thereby skewing the data.
• Finding 3: Making it to 90+ isn’t that much fun.
• Finding 4: We don’t clearly know why nearly half of the demented people over 90 are demented (Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for only about half of the dementia in this group).
• Finding 5: This is just a genetic curiosity. People with this genetic trait are not as conspicuously demented as their trashed brains might suggest.

So, all in all, nothing to see here. Just move along, and ignore the spicy news stories about it.

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

I saw this just this morning on Facebook. My take on it... In the end ,whether you live life at its fullest or in moderation ,we still all end up in the same situation. My wife and I have this outlook on life- Lifes short . 3 things we NEVER skimp on- quality coffee, quality alcohol, quality food.

 

[ArizonaDave]

Drink more alcohol and coffee, and get fat, to live past 90?

My initial thoughts on this widely publicized study were that the news outlets were misinterpreting the findings of the study. That appears to be the case. Here is the original summary of the study results from The UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders:
http://www.mind.uci.edu/research-studies/90plus-study/

1. People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained.
   [*]People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did.
   [*]Over 40% of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled. Both are more common in women than men.
   [*]About half of people with dementia over age 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss.
2. People aged 90 and older with an APOE2 gene are less likely to have clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, but are much more likely to have Alzheimer’s neuropathology in their brains.

My commentary:

• Finding 1: Note the words “moderate” and “or”. Also, why did those who croaked sooner abstain? Did they have complicating health issues that led them (or their physicians) to decide it would be better for them to abstain from coffee and alcohol? This finding (point 1) may simply be a sampling of old people who have enjoyed prior good health, in which case, their greater longevity would be no surprise.
• Finding 2: This is not likely what it appears to be. From the 2014 article in Aging Cell: “Although a recent meta-analysis suggests that overweight individuals have significantly lower overall mortality than normal-weight individuals, these data are likely to be an artifact produced by serious methodological problems, especially confounding by smoking, reverse causation due to existing chronic disease, and nonspecific loss of lean mass and function in the frail elderly. From a clinical and public health point of view, maintaining a healthy weight through diet and physical activity should remain the cornerstone in the prevention of chronic diseases and the promotion of healthy aging.”
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4032609/
  What that’s saying is that old people who are not healthy tend to lose weight, thereby skewing the data.
• Finding 3: Making it to 90+ isn’t that much fun.
• Finding 4: We don’t clearly know why nearly half of the demented people over 90 are demented (Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for only about half of the dementia in this group).
• Finding 5: This is just a genetic curiosity. People with this genetic trait are not as conspicuously demented as their trashed brains might suggest.

So, all in all, nothing to see here. Just move along, and ignore the spicy news stories about it.

Bob

Somebody took a lot of time to create this masterpiece.

 

[Ben Brand]

Bob, I`m sure smoking a cigar, at least one a day, must make you grow older as well. Or at least make growing old more fun!!!

 

[wildcrow]

That was well composed. People tend to overlook anything cintradicting their deeply held belief while allowing information that conforms to their belief reinforce their position - making them less likely to change their opinion even when excellent evidence is presented counter to their belief. Mouthful, but I think it's true.

Live well and full.

 

[deluxestogie]

Confirmation bias is always a problem, even among diligent researchers. Unfortunately, the tabloid press loves a catchy headline, regardless of the valid conclusions that a research study can actually substantiate.

This is made much, much worse by the avaricious paywall practices of academic publishing conglomerates, which insist on charging a fee in order to read the detailed methods of research that was paid for by tax dollars. Without knowing the methodology, even a knowledgeable reader can't weigh the stated results.

The general public gets the impression that researchers don't know what they're doing. "It helps you live longer." "It kills you on the spot." etc. A particularly insidious assertion is one promulgated by the US FDA, that states that no form or use of tobacco is safer than any other. That's not true of broccoli or apples or even scorpion venom.

But yes, smoking cigars makes you grow older! Smoking cigars for 48 years has caused me to become 48 years older. So, be careful.

Bob

 

[greenmonster714]

To throw a little modern day twist in here....Fake News...This is all FAKE NEWS!

 

[deluxestogie]

I wouldn't consider those news stories fake news. Fake news is intentionally incorrect. Most questionable news stories about science research simply suffer from laziness and inadequate education on the part of the journalist.

Bob

 

[DIY Pete]

I wouldn't consider those news stories fake news. Fake news is intentionally incorrect. Most questionable news stories about science research simply suffer from laziness and inadequate education on the part of the journalist.

Bob

I have to agree and it is very frustrating to see an "expert" on T.V. that has very little understanding of the topic they are discussing. Don't even get me started on confirmation bias unless you want to read the longest rant ever.

Pete

 

[greenmonster714]

I wouldn't consider those news stories fake news. Fake news is intentionally incorrect. Most questionable news stories about science research simply suffer from laziness and inadequate education on the part of the journalist.

Bob

I would hope you understand where this originated. Just being silly.

I find it amazing how a scientist who deals in facts can be so misunderstood, ignored, and ridiculed. Fake News seems to be the battlecry these days. Damn fools.

 

[BarG]

Face the facts, when journalists try to create news as oppossed to reporting news give it at least a whole salt shaker as oppossed to a grain.

 

[BarG]

Confirmation bias is always a problem, even among diligent researchers. Unfortunately, the tabloid press loves a catchy headline, regardless of the valid conclusions that a research study can actually substantiate.

This is made much, much worse by the avaricious paywall practices of academic publishing conglomerates, which insist on charging a fee in order to read the detailed methods of research that was paid for by tax dollars. Without knowing the methodology, even a knowledgeable reader can't weigh the stated results.

The general public gets the impression that researchers don't know what they're doing. "It helps you live longer." "It kills you on the spot." etc. A particularly insidious assertion is one promulgated by the US FDA, that states that no form or use of tobacco is safer than any other. That's not true of broccoli or apples or even scorpion venom.

But yes, smoking cigars makes you grow older! Smoking cigars for 48 years has caused me to become 48 years older. So, be careful.

Bob

You old Stogie Lol, I been smokin cigs for 51 yrs, and drinking beer since I was 10. so yes the day before yesterday was my birthday so that makes my calculations correct. Live long and Live well.