This Week In The HSI Forum
An e-Alert topic that never fails to prompt passionate responses (both pro and con) is alcohol. Most recently, when I wrote about the healthy resveratrol content of grapes, grape juice, and wine in the e-alert “Cup of Good Cheer” (12/24/03), I received this response from a member named June:
“(Your) quote from the e-mail, “Cup of Good Cheer,” says whether your enjoy a cup of good cheer as red wine or grape juice, either way you can rest assured that you’re raising a toast to good health. I think not. There is a big difference in having a cup of wine and having a cup of grape juice! There were also no warnings of the risk of that ‘cup of cheer’ when driving – or mixing that ‘drink’ with meds. Also, the brain’s recovery takes many hours (even until the next day) after this ‘cup of cheer.'”
Jane’s points are well taken. But because I assume that HSI members are responsible, well-informed adults, I don’t feel it’s necessary to warn you about the dangers of alcohol when I report on studies that indicate possible health benefits of beverages that contain alcohol. Nevertheless, to give you insight into both sides of the issue, I offer June’s comments as an introduction to a current thread on the HSI Forum titled “Guinness is good for you!”
In the e-Alert “High Life” (12/1/03), I told you about a study that showed how a daily ration of Guinness stout helped prevent arterial plaque buildup in dogs. After reading that e-Alert, here’s how a member named Lester started off the Forum thread about Guinness: “Lucky dogs! I was raised in England, and it’s been common knowledge there, and in Ireland, for many many years that drinking a small Guinness every day was beneficial to your health as a dietary supplement. The benefits far outweighed the demerits of ingesting alcohol. It would be interesting to have a detailed analysis of exactly what is in Guinness that actually does you good!”
According to researchers, it may be the high concentration of antioxidant polyphenols in dark beers and stouts (but not typical lagers) that somehow combine with alcohol to create a heart-healthy effect.
A member named Roz responds: “I don’t know what it is, but do remember being advised to drink a 4 to 6 oz glass of beer while I was nursing my infants, to help milk glands produce more breast milk.” And a member named Rosie provides this insight into the controversial combination of nursing and beer drinking: “The reason for beer helping produce milk is due to the brewers yeast in it. And the excess fluid helps too. When mothers aren’t producing enough milk, beer drinking is encouraged, or used to be anyway.”
But maybe it’s not what you drink, but how you drink it. A member named Howard tells about a doctor friend of his from the Ukraine who immigrated to the U.S. after World War II. Howard writes: “He taught me how to drink. The doc showed me that you should not just sit down and slog drinks, in the American way. You should do it like the Europeans. That is, gather with friends, family and have something to eat while you are drinking. (Not junk foods like chips & dips.) Eat fresh veggies, cold cuts, good breads etc. The food as well as the friends and the conversation, will mitigate the action of the alcohol, and you will get the maximum benefit of the alcohol and it’s beneficiary attributes.”
Getting back to Guinness, a member named Jo from the UK says, “My favourite way of using Guinness is to make a beef casserole with it. It’s beautiful!” Jo then hands things over to Deryck, “the best cook in the house,” and in great detail Deryck shares the recipe for “a dish used and abused in student days.” And it certainly sounds like a hearty meal; perfect for a cold winter night.
Is Guinness really healthy for you? We’ll need many more studies before that can be proven. But if you’ve ever enjoyed a pint of this formidable dark beer (or a bowl of Guinness beef casserole), this is a thread you might relish.
Other topics of interest on the HSI Forum this week include:
- Mad cow disease
- Lipitor or statins and muscle pain
- Chinese herbs
- Depression
- Gall stones
- Ephedra
You can easily reach the Forum on our web site at www.hsionline.com. Just click on “Forum,” and join in with any of the dozens of discussions about nutrition and natural health care.
And for those of you who may have been waiting for the Ravens to eat some crow, your time has come.
Last Saturday in Baltimore, the Tennessee Titans eliminated the Ravens from the playoffs. And I have to hand it to the Titans: they managed to completely shut down the rushing game of Jamal Lewis and the biggest offensive line in the NFL. And while McNair threw more interceptions than touchdowns, the Titans running game was pretty effective against the Ravens defense. Not many teams have performed better on the ground against Ray Lewis and his crew.
For the Ravens, it was the end of an exciting season that was far more successful than many would have predicted in September, winning their first divisional championship. This is a talented team, and next year they’ll return more seasoned and even more motivated now that they know everything they’re capable of. The NFL has been put on notice: Baltimore will be in it from Day One in 2004.
And now Go Patriots!
