The term FRENCH PARADOX was coined in 1992 to describe the relatively low incidence of cardiovascular disease in the French population, despite a relatively high dietary intake of saturated fats, and potentially attributable to the consumption of red wine. After nearly 20 years, several studies have investigated the fascinating, overwhelmingly positive biological and clinical associations of re...

We determined the relationship of alcohol consumption and Medicare costs among 4,392 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a longitudinal, population-based cohort study of adults age 65 or over in four U.S. communities. We assessed 5-year Parts A and B costs and self-reported intake of beer, wine, and liquor at baseline. Among both sexes, total costs were approximately $2,000 l...

We used longitudinal data to investigate the relationship between computer use in internet cafés and smoking/drinking behavior among Chinese adolescents and young adults. Data are from two waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2004 and 2006). Fixed effects models were used to examine if changes in internet café use were associated with changes in cigarette smoking and drinking of alco...

There is evidence that alcohol consumption among those in middle-class occupations consistently exceeds safe levels, yet there has been little research into why this occurs. This article explores the meanings associated with alcohol use among professional, managerial and clerical workers. Qualitative data were collected from five focus groups of male and female employees aged 21-55 (N =49: 32 m...

OBJECTIVES To determine the way Canadians consume alcohol beyond drinking amounts and to verify if the drinking act is similar across provinces given that, in Canada, alcohol policies come under provincial jurisdiction. METHODS Subjects were 10,466 current drinkers (5,743 women and 4,723 men) aged 18 to 76 years, who participated in the GENACIS Canada study. RESULTS In Canada, there are thr...

BACKGROUND Although some epidemiologic studies found inverse associations between alcohol drinking and Parkinson's disease (PD), the majority of studies found no such significant associations. Additionally, there is only limited research into the possible interactions of alcohol intake with aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 2 activity with respect to PD risk. We examined the relationship between al...

To investigate the effect of aluminum and silica in drinking water on the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, the authors analyzed data from a large prospective cohort (Paquid), including 3,777 subjects aged 65 years and over living at home in 75 civil parishes in Gironde and Dordogne in southwestern France in 1988-1989. The subjects were followed for up for 8 years with an active search ...

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of a short, practical pouring exercise as a means of illustrating the details of the UK 'Sensible Drinking' guidelines. METHODS Participants (N = 297, 53% male) recruited at four Edinburgh employment sites, each completed a short non-standardized questionnaire and poured their 'usual measure of wine or spirit' into a glass (purchased fr...

AIMS To assess the variation in heavy drinking and alcohol dependence by living arrangements, and the contribution of social and behavioural factors to this variation. DESIGN The Health 2000 survey is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted in Finland in 2000-2001 (N = 4589 in the age-range of 30-54 years, response rate 81%). MEASUREMENTS Living arrangements; married, c...

BACKGROUND little is known about the prevalence of at-risk drinking in older adults. OBJECTIVE to compare rates of at-risk drinking in 75-year-olds examined in 1976-77 and in 2005-06. DESIGN cross-sectional survey. SETTING two samples representative of the general population in Gothenburg, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS 75-year-olds born in 1901-02 (n = 303) and in 1930 (n = 753). METHODS parti...