Don't worry be happy.
RDWHAHB
RDWHAHB
Is my daily beer intake unhealthy?
- Thread starter TheCookieMonster
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Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
... Damn, sounds like a lot of people here are drinking _ A LOT_. I drink about 2-3 beers/week and I'm glad. More than that, and I fell guilty for the calories intake.
I hope you all exercise a lot in order to keep you in shape. Like other people said before, beer contains calories which, if not burnt, can lead to fat, which can lead to heart disease, diabete and other things like that.
It's important to stay in shape, and what the OP said reminds me of my ol' dad.
My father was a good beer drinker like some of you (a little bit less, he wasn't drinking everyday, but he just loved to drink his 950 ml can of Budweiser some times in the week along with soda cracker, and stuff like that), weighted 220-230 lbs for 5'11" and didn't exerciced at all. Well guess what? At 50, he suffered a heart attack (myocardial infarction) which he survived, but with a 30-40% heart power a normal person would have, and well, I don't remember exactly why, but his kidney weren't working as good. He made a lot of water retention, so his belly was swelling because of all the water accumulating there.
So he had to drink about 1-1.5 liters of liquid MAXIMUM per day. He couldn't drink more. He couldn't drink alcohol anymore. Boy did he regret a lot of things he did after that. He died 4 years after his infarction. It was sad to see him measuring every cup of water he was drinking.
So exercise a lot if you want to continue to drink beer and stay in shape.
I hope you all exercise a lot in order to keep you in shape. Like other people said before, beer contains calories which, if not burnt, can lead to fat, which can lead to heart disease, diabete and other things like that.
It's important to stay in shape, and what the OP said reminds me of my ol' dad.
My father was a good beer drinker like some of you (a little bit less, he wasn't drinking everyday, but he just loved to drink his 950 ml can of Budweiser some times in the week along with soda cracker, and stuff like that), weighted 220-230 lbs for 5'11" and didn't exerciced at all. Well guess what? At 50, he suffered a heart attack (myocardial infarction) which he survived, but with a 30-40% heart power a normal person would have, and well, I don't remember exactly why, but his kidney weren't working as good. He made a lot of water retention, so his belly was swelling because of all the water accumulating there.
So he had to drink about 1-1.5 liters of liquid MAXIMUM per day. He couldn't drink more. He couldn't drink alcohol anymore. Boy did he regret a lot of things he did after that. He died 4 years after his infarction. It was sad to see him measuring every cup of water he was drinking.
So exercise a lot if you want to continue to drink beer and stay in shape.
Very well said.
OP
OP
TheCookieMonster
Well-Known Member
Wow I'm the OP and I think the signs show at 33 that I'm going to end up just like your dad. I have all the risk factors except the smoking (although I just quit only last summer).
The thing is that I also never knew my Dad, so I dont know if mine is hereditary.
Yesterday was sad. I had only 2 pints of beer and eat ground chick peas and pita bread for dinner. Today for breakfast I'm going to have oatmeal with sweetener. Then we are going out to look for a treadmill. What a fun weekend.
I just can't believe this. If you visibly saw me and my wife you might say I dont have a weight problem. My wife is even 115lbs! She's like 10lbs over weight. And her tests also came back bornderline 'high'. We don't even eat that much saturated fats. We even asked the restaurants we used to go to what oil they used and they said corn oil. We ate bacon on our homemade pizza ONCE a week as a TOPPING, but can that raise cholesterol so high? We've traced down our big saturated fat intake to our home made pizzas each week.. but damn a few slices of pizza causing that much high cholesterol???
The thing is that I also never knew my Dad, so I dont know if mine is hereditary.
Yesterday was sad. I had only 2 pints of beer and eat ground chick peas and pita bread for dinner. Today for breakfast I'm going to have oatmeal with sweetener. Then we are going out to look for a treadmill. What a fun weekend.
I just can't believe this. If you visibly saw me and my wife you might say I dont have a weight problem. My wife is even 115lbs! She's like 10lbs over weight. And her tests also came back bornderline 'high'. We don't even eat that much saturated fats. We even asked the restaurants we used to go to what oil they used and they said corn oil. We ate bacon on our homemade pizza ONCE a week as a TOPPING, but can that raise cholesterol so high? We've traced down our big saturated fat intake to our home made pizzas each week.. but damn a few slices of pizza causing that much high cholesterol???
If I may say, maybe you want to do something else than a treadmill. It's the kind of thing which is very practical, but a lot of person lose their motivation rather quickly on this. On a day-to-day basis, it's all right, but I would suggest something else. I think the treadmill is a great tool to support your motivation and progress in other sports, but like I said, it's also the kind of thing were your motivation may be lacking after a few weeks.
Like muscular training. It's the kind of thing you see the results and thus are more likely to continue. It's very cool to see your muscles grow as your belly burns. I really think the combination treadmill + muscular training is the way to go. (And even if she says the opposite, I'm pretty sure your wife would like your new 6-packs with your big biceps -- as long as you don't always boast yourself and only talk about it). You'll really feel more self-confident, more proud and healthier. It's great to say "Damn, did I earn my beer!" after your routine.
You may also like to do some hiking. I like to do it personally because of the beautiful pictures I can take when I'm at the top. It's a good source of motivation. Some landscape are just breath-taking. The sentiment of success is very good too.
Some people I know bike a lot. It's a great exercice. I know of people who bike to micro-breweries, which can be a great source of motivation
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Or organized league. You are Canadian, you live in Toronto, the biggest city in Canada. I'm pretty sure you can find some organized hockey/hockey cosom league. Or soccer if you like it. These sports are very demanding, cardio-vascularly, so it would be very good for you. Tennis, maybe? Your wife could be your tennis partner! Or martial arts (karate, judo, ninjutsu... chose one which you find cool on youtube and go for it). Team sports can be very damn good on motivation, because you always push yourself to the max for the team, something you may not be ready to do for yourself yet. Tango dancing too seems to be a nice exercise.
There's a lot of sport you can practice, and a lot of mean to be healthier. Try to find one where you're sure your motivation won't wane quickly. It's for your health.
Like muscular training. It's the kind of thing you see the results and thus are more likely to continue. It's very cool to see your muscles grow as your belly burns. I really think the combination treadmill + muscular training is the way to go. (And even if she says the opposite, I'm pretty sure your wife would like your new 6-packs with your big biceps -- as long as you don't always boast yourself and only talk about it). You'll really feel more self-confident, more proud and healthier. It's great to say "Damn, did I earn my beer!" after your routine.
You may also like to do some hiking. I like to do it personally because of the beautiful pictures I can take when I'm at the top. It's a good source of motivation. Some landscape are just breath-taking. The sentiment of success is very good too.
Some people I know bike a lot. It's a great exercice. I know of people who bike to micro-breweries, which can be a great source of motivation
.Or organized league. You are Canadian, you live in Toronto, the biggest city in Canada. I'm pretty sure you can find some organized hockey/hockey cosom league. Or soccer if you like it. These sports are very demanding, cardio-vascularly, so it would be very good for you. Tennis, maybe? Your wife could be your tennis partner! Or martial arts (karate, judo, ninjutsu... chose one which you find cool on youtube and go for it). Team sports can be very damn good on motivation, because you always push yourself to the max for the team, something you may not be ready to do for yourself yet. Tango dancing too seems to be a nice exercise.
There's a lot of sport you can practice, and a lot of mean to be healthier. Try to find one where you're sure your motivation won't wane quickly. It's for your health.
If you have a serious health question, ask a doctor. Also, we all don't know the health benefits of beer...it is definitely a gray area. There is a lot more info on your health history and blood work that would be needed to give you an answer like that. I drink about 3 beers a day, but I'm not asking for advice either. With my lifestyle and health considerations, I don't consider it to be much of a concern, though I know I would be a little healthier if I cut back.
adamjab19
Well-Known Member
Hello, I am 26 with high cholesterol. My good cholesterol was at a good level but my total and low density cholesterol were all 30 points too high! It runs in my family and in fact nearly every male along my dad's side has had some heart attack/failure/bypass/died because of a heart issue/procedure. Plus these numbers came out after a summer of training for a 10k and eating somewhat properly! I thought I was beating the curve.
Soooo.....
Be lucky you have found out and are able to right the ship now even if that does include medicines, they work! I think this is why my family history is so bad because back in the day you didn't get your cholesterol checked until you had chest pains or whatever. Preventative medicine is a good thing!
Good luck with the treadmill though. I have one and enjoy running but more than half the battle is the mind game of running in the same spot for however long EVEN if you have a TV or music.
Soooo.....
Be lucky you have found out and are able to right the ship now even if that does include medicines, they work! I think this is why my family history is so bad because back in the day you didn't get your cholesterol checked until you had chest pains or whatever. Preventative medicine is a good thing!
Good luck with the treadmill though. I have one and enjoy running but more than half the battle is the mind game of running in the same spot for however long EVEN if you have a TV or music.
MarkSheffield
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I started having cholesterol problems a few years ago - not real high, borderline. I am 5' 10", 185, run 10-15 miles weekly and eat pretty well. I wasn't able to get the cholesterol down, though, so the Dr. wanted to put me on statins. I avoided this for a couple years and tried to handle it with diet and exercise, to no real avail. A while later I had a sports-related foot injury that needed an x-ray. In that x-ray, the Dr. saw calcification in the blood vessels. That got me upset enough that I went on the statins right away and the cholesterol dropped like a rock and has stayed low.
The point of all this is that sometimes diet and exercise don't work and you don't necessarily have any control over what your cholesterol is - you might need to take some drugs for it.
The point of all this is that sometimes diet and exercise don't work and you don't necessarily have any control over what your cholesterol is - you might need to take some drugs for it.
uechikid
Well-Known Member
Jim Fixx, running guru from the 70s and 80s died of a heart attach while running and Arthur Ashe Famous tennis player had a heart attach in his prime. It's not all about diet and exercise. All though they are important.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
hmm........
20+10+12+12+12+12+12+12=100oz.
Can I change the question?
Is 3L of beer a day bad for me? That's a normal weekday.
20+10+12+12+12+12+12+12=100oz.
Can I change the question?
Is 3L of beer a day bad for me? That's a normal weekday.
beermonster1985
Well-Known Member
all about luck of what your born with, obviously u have to look after yourself a little bit, my ole man been drinking pretty much everyday since he was 18-19, and hes 64 now and although he has given up the smoking still drinking, he has had 1 heart attack but after tests the docter said his liver was perfect, gave us all a good laugh
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Well that's good to hear.
I would rather drink 8-9 beers from 3:30 to 10:00 than 4 soda pops.
And I do.
I was wondering the same thing
There are some people that try to make some connection between dental health use of the mineral fluoride and URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE witch is used to refine Uranium. Those people are barking mad.
They are not the same thing.
I would propose that doctors don't know what a proper cholestrol level is, and most would try to put you on some new fad drug just to get you popping pills everyday. Now let me start off by saying I am not a doctor.. Now that we got that out of the way let me give my two cents....
Some people have high cholestorol, some people don't. Some people who have high cholestorol also have heart attacks. Alot of people who's cholestorol is normal also have heart attacks.
My doctor tried to put me on one of those cholestorol lowering drugs. I said heck no!! I'll let you know in a few years if I have a heart attack
Regardless of that. Homebrew has yeasties in it. The yeasties are loaded with amino acids that you don't find in filtered beers. This gives you a bunch of B vitamins you don't normally get.. So I say drink the beer in moderation, not to the point of drunkenness.
Some people have high cholestorol, some people don't. Some people who have high cholestorol also have heart attacks. Alot of people who's cholestorol is normal also have heart attacks.
My doctor tried to put me on one of those cholestorol lowering drugs. I said heck no!! I'll let you know in a few years if I have a heart attack
Regardless of that. Homebrew has yeasties in it. The yeasties are loaded with amino acids that you don't find in filtered beers. This gives you a bunch of B vitamins you don't normally get.. So I say drink the beer in moderation, not to the point of drunkenness.
Just wanted to add I eat a lot of popcorn.. Popcorn in my opinion is good for you and goes well with beer.. And just for the record, I pop my own popcorn, not the microwave crap. The microwave crap includes some man-made butter that is not butter but will kill you.
TVarmy
Well-Known Member
I'm a 21 year old guy, and this thread is exactly what I needed to see. I've been drinking one or two beers on the weekend and on my days off (college student), and I never really saw adult drinking in my house. Thus, I was getting nervous that my habit of sampling craft beers three or four times a week was excessive, dangerous to my liver, causing early onset Alzheimers, etc. Good to see some statistics with real data on what the stuff does, regarding the damage per drink. Also, I was half-afraid I was a "moderate" drinker, but you guys all bring me to shame.
Well to tell you the truth both my parents were alcoholics.. And because of this I keep a steady watch on my drinking. Not to mention my wife is aware of this fact and she monitors this very closely.
Truth is the difference between a moderate drinker and someone who drinks in excess is very close, and the tipping point is not much.
Too sum it up in lamens terms, if you drink to get drunk you have a problem. If you drink to the point where you feel a little tingeling then you probably will be okay. Problem is you build up a tolerance over time and you must be careful not to confuse the two.
Truth is the difference between a moderate drinker and someone who drinks in excess is very close, and the tipping point is not much.
Too sum it up in lamens terms, if you drink to get drunk you have a problem. If you drink to the point where you feel a little tingeling then you probably will be okay. Problem is you build up a tolerance over time and you must be careful not to confuse the two.
kaiser423
Well-Known Member
I'm 6'1" and when I'm up at 220 lbs I have a pretty damn big belly if I push it out. At 205 it's pretty much tucked in, and at 195 I have it in pretty good shape. I'm average build with a pretty good chunk of muscle. At 5'11" and 230, you got some extra weight on you man. No doubt. Just drop it some.
I had good cholesterol in college mainly due to working out, not due to diet. Weighed about 187. Blew out my knee, ballooned up to 220, had bad cholesterol. My cholesterol comes in good if I'm ~210. Above that, the doctor's give me talks about things. Below that and they don't. It's just that simple, for my body at least.
Sure, watch your food intake some (say mostly bye-bye to sausage, pepperoni, etc on those pizzas).
Eat some cholesterol busting foods like oatmeal and granola (homemade granola with yogurt and fruit is simple, easy, and healthy as can be. My meat and potatoes only eating brother-in-law requests this for breakfast every time when he shows up. It is seriously good). Watch portion sizes, cut out soft drinks, blah, blah, blah.
But really, just enjoy life some man. Have your beers. That's not enough to be a problem, but also look at your overall health picture. The doctors are shooting for you to be the image of perfect health, and you're not there. Oh well. But at least you know to try and fix some things up some. But don't stop drinking your beers. Don't have a crisis over your beers until you've done some other things and they haven't worked out.
Don't go overboard, just drop a bit of weight! The bottom line is that stress is also a factor for high cholesterol. If the beer decreases your stress, then it very well may be a net benefit.
l1ranger
Well-Known Member
whats the point of life if you don't enjoy it?
of course, there's a certain amount of effort required on our part to enjoy life as well. I'm not saying to eat what you want, do what you want and not worry about consequences, but find a balance.
i've always been pretty active, wrestling, boxing, rugby, kayaking, hiking, biking etc. and i've always pretty much eaten what I wanted and drank when i wanted a beer. this past winter was pretty rough here and all my outdoor activities were stalled from december to just a few weeks ago. I didnt pick up any extra exercise actvity, but continues to eat and drink as normal. its put a hurtin on me. I finaly got out kayaking last weekend, and after the first mile I had to grab the boat and walk out. I was fatigued, out of breath and all out exhausted.
am i going to give up my beer? hell no. but i"ll watch what i eat a bit more and be ready to get some exercise in some other way when my outdoor activities fall through. basically get my back into some form of being in shape.
for comparison purposes, I probably drink 2 to 4 12 oz beers on any given day. of course, some days i have none. sometimes I'll have none for 4 or 5 days in a row, and on occassion I'll have much more than 2 to 4.
the body is a pretty amazing machine, when properly maintained, but, IMO, there has to be a balance when dealing with health and enjoyment. I'm not going to be the guy that eats only spinach and drinks only water and runs 30 miles a week, nor will i be the guy that eats a pound of bacon and drinks a case a day while playing video games on the couch.
of course, there's a certain amount of effort required on our part to enjoy life as well. I'm not saying to eat what you want, do what you want and not worry about consequences, but find a balance.
i've always been pretty active, wrestling, boxing, rugby, kayaking, hiking, biking etc. and i've always pretty much eaten what I wanted and drank when i wanted a beer. this past winter was pretty rough here and all my outdoor activities were stalled from december to just a few weeks ago. I didnt pick up any extra exercise actvity, but continues to eat and drink as normal. its put a hurtin on me. I finaly got out kayaking last weekend, and after the first mile I had to grab the boat and walk out. I was fatigued, out of breath and all out exhausted.
am i going to give up my beer? hell no. but i"ll watch what i eat a bit more and be ready to get some exercise in some other way when my outdoor activities fall through. basically get my back into some form of being in shape.
for comparison purposes, I probably drink 2 to 4 12 oz beers on any given day. of course, some days i have none. sometimes I'll have none for 4 or 5 days in a row, and on occassion I'll have much more than 2 to 4.
the body is a pretty amazing machine, when properly maintained, but, IMO, there has to be a balance when dealing with health and enjoyment. I'm not going to be the guy that eats only spinach and drinks only water and runs 30 miles a week, nor will i be the guy that eats a pound of bacon and drinks a case a day while playing video games on the couch.
Monty420th
Well-Known Member
life is too short, do what the hell you want...within reason of course, if you get blasted one night...take the next two off
excess in moderation...oh and not eating at night gets you drunk quicker
BTW, always a good idea to keep a spare liver in your keezer
IMO, nothing in the current times is good for you including food, water, and air. Learn to enjoy it in small portions and you will be fine. don't mean to sound like an a$$, but almost nothing is good for you...one of my good friends was a marathon runner and died at 35 due to cancer, enjoy life is my opinion
excess in moderation...oh and not eating at night gets you drunk quicker
BTW, always a good idea to keep a spare liver in your keezer
IMO, nothing in the current times is good for you including food, water, and air. Learn to enjoy it in small portions and you will be fine. don't mean to sound like an a$$, but almost nothing is good for you...one of my good friends was a marathon runner and died at 35 due to cancer, enjoy life is my opinion
JefeTheVol
Well-Known Member
I would propose that doctors don't know what a proper cholestrol level is, and most would try to put you on some new fad drug just to get you popping pills everyday. Now let me start off by saying I am not a doctor.. Now that we got that out of the way let me give my two cents....
Some people have high cholestorol, some people don't. Some people who have high cholestorol also have heart attacks. Alot of people who's cholestorol is normal also have heart attacks.
My doctor tried to put me on one of those cholestorol lowering drugs. I said heck no!! I'll let you know in a few years if I have a heart attack
Regardless of that. Homebrew has yeasties in it. The yeasties are loaded with amino acids that you don't find in filtered beers. This gives you a bunch of B vitamins you don't normally get.. So I say drink the beer in moderation, not to the point of drunkenness.
While in some ways your post rings true. Some people with "normal" cholesterol do have a heart attacks this by no way represents the majority of the American population (and Western World population as well). Being in my 3rd year of medical school I can tell you that doctors don't follow fads, we follow Evidence-Based Medicine. And the overwhelmingly apparent (as well as easily accessible) information points towards lowering your LDL and Triglycerides and raising your HDL which will significantly reduce the chances of having a heart attack in Western Populations.
Now, on to "normal" cholesterol. Normal cholesterol is measured by the average healthy westerner which, as anyone here will know, has a cornucopia of genetic influences. For instance, I am part English, Polish, and German. This multitude of genetic influences leads to immense heterogeneity when it comes to person-to-person genetic histories. This leads to a large reference range that includes "normal" cholesterol/LDL/TG's. Following linear logic it is easy to realize that individuals exist who would fall "outside the range" of normal yet still not suffer the "normal consequences" of high cholesterol, etc.
Above this normal range significantly increases your risk of a myocardial infarction in the western population and decreases your life expectancy. I highly doubt your doctor, who took an oath to protect his patients and "above all else, do no harm" is following some fad by suggesting you get help lowering your cholesterol by using a drug. He is merely following evidence that suggests you will live longer and healthier if you decrease your cholesterol etc.
Of course the next thing to discuss is side effects. Sure, patients will have side effects to some of the cholesterol lowering drugs but evidence exists that the benefits significantly outweigh the risks of using a Statin or other cholesterol lowering medications. And human behavior studies show that just telling a patient that he/she needs to change their lifestyle to lower their cholesterol will not help as much as medication because, for the simple reason, people dont want to change their lifestyles.
Considering the number one killer among western populations is heart disease, I doubt he has ulterior motives. Everyone should get their cholesterol/LDL/HDL/TG's checked because keeping those in the normal range promotes overall good health.
The medical community works entirely on evidence-based approaches to medicine and it incurs some of the most intense and scrupulous peer-reviews of any scientific profession.
My question is this:
If one brews using science, why discredit a profession that sets its precedence using the same scientific method, if not a method that is held to a higher standard?
-Jefe-
adamjab19
Well-Known Member
Thank you JefeTheVol. You saved me a lot of time.
Wellshooter
Well-Known Member
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
BrewDocND
Well-Known Member
Please do everything you can, lifestyle-wise, before you start taking statins. Definitely integrate a regular exercise program into you and your wife's lives, and cut out the crap food. Eat more fresh, living foods. Especially dark green and colorful veggies. And avoid any food that comes in a box or bag. Read labels. The more ingredients a food has, the worse it is for you (i.e., the more a food is processed before it gets to you, the more processing your body has to do to process it back into usable form. Your body knows what a raw red bell pepper is. It doesn't know WTF to do with a hot pocket).
Statins F*** up so many processes in your body, as cholesterol is used in the synthesis of sooo many necessary hormones, etc. Cut your beer consumption a bit, but do all those other things first.
That is something I hate to hear (or read). Are you a doctor? Are you a researcher? Did you study biology/pharmacy? If not, then don't go around giving advices about science and health when clearly OP's life is more risky giving is lifestyle. The only advices he should follow is the advices his doctor gave him. Nothing wrong in asking some questions to him, though, or asking for a second opinion on your condition to another doctor, to be safe.
I'm sorry, I may come a bit hard, but I'm a physicist (not a physician), and I just hate it when someone without proper qualifications tries to explain to me why physics is wrong, why I shouldn't believe physics or other **** like that. Or when they think they can revolutionize the entire field with basic ideas... dating back from Galileo. But I disgress here.
May it be with physics or science in general, if you're not an expert on the field, you can't, you don't have the knowledge to go against what scientists and profesionnals tell you. It takes a lot of humility to understand that, but that's how it works. Doctors had about 8-10 years of medecine education + some years of experience. Researchers spent their time doing experimentation on one hand, but also sharing information with other, reading and writing articles in scientific journals, participate in great international meetings, etc. You can't, you don't have the capacity to go against doctors or researchers on someone's health. Someone you don't really know, don't have all the factors or informations on hand and may not have all the qualifications to do so.
Of course, all this rant is meaningless if you're qualified. And clearly, a better lifestyle in his case is a must.
BrewDocND
Well-Known Member
Yes, the only advice you should follow is your doctor's. However, it's important for patients to have all the information when they decide to take a potentially harmful medicine. I am not a physician, but will be shortly, and I'm simply giving my opinion. Your point is well taken. My post does not take the place of an appointment with a licensed physician.
Rockchalk
Active Member
Didn't read everything here but I'm curious. How in the word do some of you profess to make these 5 and 10 gal plus batches of beer weekly but only drink a liter a day. That's some fuzzy math 
SpanishCastleAle
Well-Known Member
SWMBO intake plus give a lot away to family/friends. It goes fast.Didn't read everything here but I'm curious. How in the word do some of you profess to make these 5 and 10 gal plus batches of beer weekly but only drink a liter a day. That's some fuzzy math
Monty420th
Well-Known Member
Didn't read everything here but I'm curious. How in the word do some of you profess to make these 5 and 10 gal plus batches of beer weekly but only drink a liter a day. That's some fuzzy math
once you tell your friends about it, it goes very fast...I was brewing a batch one night an some friends wanted to see the process, I had just kegged one beer the week before
5 friends, 2 pints each, 1.25 gallons consumed out of 5. Just takes that to happen a couple of times and you are out of beer (especially if it is a good one and they keep coming back)
Then, we agree my friend.
I agree with you when you say a patient should get as many informations as possible before taking a medecine. Ask questions to your doctor, read about it as much as you can. I even suggest seeking a second opinion if this is a general practitioner.BlueSunshine
Well-Known Member
I'm in the "do what makes you happy camp". I just found out that I have a cyst on my kidney today (it's not harmful, but being told that is a bit jarring) and I'm still going to drink beer. Granted, I only drink like 4 beers a week (sometimes less than that) but beer makes me happy. We're all going to die eventually anyway, so might as well be happy along the way.
SoonerDoc
Well-Known Member
This is an excellent post, Jefe. People who claim doctors follow fads or don't know the science behind health recommendations are either misinformed or are going to crappy doctors. There are a multitude of reasons why the OP's cholesterol could be high. Genetics play a huge role and to some extent so do lifestyle choices. Simply changing what you can for the better always helps. Modern medicine can not predict what will happen to the individual, only to groups of individuals. We know that a larger portion of people with high cholesterol will have an MI or stroke than people with lower cholesterol. Why is the cut-off for total cholesterol 200? Because someone looked at the data and noticed that people above 200 had higher incidence than those below 200. Could the recommendations change at any time? Yes. As new information comes available, it probably will change. It has already happened to the recommendations for LDL (bad cholesterol) and, even now, there is research that may indicate CRP levels are more accurate than cholesterol levels at predicting cardiovascular events.
The bottom line, IMO:
Avoid anything in excess.
Exercise.
Take care of yourself.
Be happy. You will die someday no matter how healthy you are.
after reading this thread I've decided I'm going to start exercising more and drinking less. I haven't had my cholesterol checked (age 30) and I drink about 3 beers a night and more on the weekend. I plan on cutting back to 2 12 oz beers tops on weekdays. Also going to start hiking the dogs more often and if I really get a wild hare, I may even start using my weight bench that is currently collecting dust. This thread has kind of opened my eyes.
Monty420th
Well-Known Member
no matter what this is a good idea, whether you change you drinking habits or not exercising more is NEVER going to be a bad thing. 20 minutes a day (although low) will make a BIG impact in your overall health
SoonerDoc
Well-Known Member
There is a subtle difference between "standard of care" in a given community and "fads".
There is also a difference in doctors trained 30 years ago and doctors trained 10 years ago.
There is also a difference in doctors trained 30 years ago and doctors trained 10 years ago.
OK, let's talk about C-sections instead. Modern trend. US rate is double that of other industrialized countries. CDC says neonatal risk is three times that of normal childbirth, but the rate is still increasing.
Oh, and health care providers earn on average twice as much from a C-section.
SoonerDoc
Well-Known Member
I don't do obstetrics so I can't answer for them. Malpractice insurance is now, I believe, limiting whether many elective c-sections are covered. Standard of care dictated that c-section was an acceptable alternative to vaginal delivery. I don't agree but that's what it was. It's now changing for the better, IMO.
Again, I'm not an OB. And unless OP is pregnant, this is only marginally relevant.
We used to use leeches as well. Medicine is always changing, hopefully for the better.
I'm not really trying to start an argument. I just want to clarify the previous statement, which seems to hold doctors in some exalted position.
My point is that doctors, just like other humans, are fallible and subject to both peer pressure and whims. This in turn leads to "fads" in the medical community where one guy will tell his peers about having good results with some procedure or treatment, based purely on anecdotal evidence, and that procedure or treatment making the rounds in a community.
Scientists, engineers, and other professionals who also in theory base all their decisions on empirical evidence routinely do the same thing. Their decisions are thus not always informed by sound scientific reasoning, but by what they heard from someone else, and often without knowing the underlying assumptions upon which the original decision was made.
EDIT:
To wit, another quote from the article I linked before regarding Wennberg's studies:
My point is that doctors, just like other humans, are fallible and subject to both peer pressure and whims. This in turn leads to "fads" in the medical community where one guy will tell his peers about having good results with some procedure or treatment, based purely on anecdotal evidence, and that procedure or treatment making the rounds in a community.
Scientists, engineers, and other professionals who also in theory base all their decisions on empirical evidence routinely do the same thing. Their decisions are thus not always informed by sound scientific reasoning, but by what they heard from someone else, and often without knowing the underlying assumptions upon which the original decision was made.
EDIT:
To wit, another quote from the article I linked before regarding Wennberg's studies:
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To the OP, I am 39, 5'11'' and 230lbs. I have been fighting my cholesterol for about 8 years now. I lost 40 lbs to get to 219 (gained a few back in the last 8 months), changed the way I ate, started exercising AND have been on meds for 8 years. Nothing! My cholesterol was almost 300, my triglycerides were over 900. And my bad cholesterol was very low. My doctor finally gave in to the fact that it was NOT due to something I was or wasn't doing and chalked it up to genetics. I still drink beer and I still eat what I want, but I watch the amount of food I eat now. I really don't oay any attention tho how much beer I drink (it's a pretty good bit!). I started a new med about 6 months ago and my cholesterol is below 200 for the first time in, I can't tell you how long. Hang in there. It may not have anything to do with eating, drinking or exercising. For the record, the new med I am on is Simcore. It is the 4th or 5th one I've been on and it apparently works.
