Cars Decide If Driver Is Drunk - Video

Associated Press: An alcohol-detection prototype that uses automatic sensors to instantly gauge a driver's fitness has the potential to save thousands of lives, but could be a decade away from everyday use in cars.

Motorists under the influence of drugs are a growing threat on U.S. roads. If you think about driving on a Friday or Saturday evening about 16% of the vehicles - one in six of the cars - the driver will be under the influence of an illicit or licit drug.

"Drugged driving" hampers judgment, reaction time, driving skills and memory.

Related:
16% of motorists may be under the influence of drugs during weekends - one in six of the cars
Drunk Driving, Distracted Driving, Moralism, and Public Health - NEJM
30% of U.S. adults have been arrested by age 23: study. Reuters, 2011.

Cleverest women are the heaviest drinkers, according to Telegraph newspaper

Not sure if this is the best choice for a headline... This is the original source: Education, alcohol use and abuse among young adults in Britain. Soc Sci Med. 2010 Jul.

The findings come from a study carried out at the London School of Economics in which researchers tracked the lives of thousands of 34-year-old women and men, all born in the UK during the same week in 1970.

The report states: "The more educated women are, the more likely they are to drink alcohol on most days and to report having problems due to their drinking patterns.

"The better-educated appear to be the ones who engage the most in problematic patterns of alcohol consumption."

They may have more active social lives or work in male-dominated workplaces with a drinking culture. As girls, they may have grown up in middle-class families and seen their parents drink regularly.

According to the researchers, higher educational attainment is associated with increased odds of daily alcohol consumption and problem drinking. The relationship is stronger for females than males. Individuals who achieved high educational test scores in childhood are at a significantly higher risk of abusing alcohol across all dimensions.

References:
Cleverest women are the heaviest drinkers. Telegraph.

Education, alcohol use and abuse among young adults in Britain. Huerta MC, Borgonovi F. Soc Sci Med. 2010 Jul;71(1):143-51. Epub 2010 Mar 31.

Image source: Wikipedia.

16% of motorists may be under the influence of drugs during weekends - one in six cars

Motorists under the influence of drugs are a growing threat on U.S. roads. If you think about driving on a Friday or Saturday evening about 16% of the vehicles - one in six of the cars - the driver will be under the influence of an illicit or licit drug.

"Drugged driving" hampers judgment, reaction time, driving skills and memory.

Video: "Fall down alcohol test".

References:

U.S. says drugged driving growing threat. Reuters.

Am I driving a car? Drunk motorist stuns police http://goo.gl/D9NOa
Drunk Driving, Distracted Driving, Moralism, and Public Health - NEJM
30% of U.S. adults have been arrested by age 23: study. Reuters, 2011.

People who "drink heavily every so often" are 45% more likely to develop coronary heart disease

Occasional heavy drinking was defined as having 5 or more standard drinks in a day at least 12 times per year. "Regular" heavy drinkers - those who averaged at least 5 drinks per day, were excluded from the analysis.

In general, moderate drinking - a drink or two per day - is considered a potentially heart-healthy habit. A number of studies have found that moderate drinkers have lower risks of heart disease than teetotalers do.

Research suggests that alcohol can increase "good" HDL cholesterol, has anti-inflammatory effects in the blood vessels and may make the blood less prone to clotting.

On the other hand, regular heavy drinking may increase blood pressure, promote blood clotting and contribute to development of arrhythmias.

References:

Occasional binges may undo alcohol's heart benefits. Reuters, 2010.

Monounsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, nuts and avocados increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels by 12% http://goo.gl/GBQa5
Alcohol literally kills: Gary Moore had 380mg/dL in his blood, Winehouse 416mg/dL when she died surrounded by 3 empty vodka bottles. Telegraph UK, 2012. 

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S.: drinkers outnumber exercisers

The CDC study shows that six in 10 American adults were regular drinkers in 2005-2007, but only about three in 10 regularly exercised.

Since 1997, rates of cigarette smoking have declined by several percentage points, rates of obesity have climbed, and rates of alcohol use, exercise, and sleep have remained relatively unchanged.

Men were more likely than women to be drinkers (68% vs. 55%).

The more educated people were, the more likely they were to drink. 74% of people who have a graduate degree were drinkers, compared with 44% of people with a high school diploma.

Adults with higher levels of education were less likely to be smokers, be physically inactive, and be obese and to sleep six hours or less per night.

Twitter comments:

@kcb704: "The more educated people were, the more likely they were to drink." http://goo.gl/JDv1 // work hard, play hard..

@BrettLinda: Hold on... good or bad? RT @DrVes Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S.: drinkers outnumber exercisers http://goo.gl/JDv1

References:
Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S. WebMD.

Images source: Wikipedia, Free Documentation License.

Alcohol consumption and raised body mass index (BMI) act together to increase risk of liver disease

Drinkers of 15 or more units per week in any BMI category and obese drinkers had raised relative rates for all definitions of liver disease, compared with underweight/normal weight non-drinkers.

The relative excess risk due to interaction between BMI and alcohol consumption was 5.58.

Raised BMI and alcohol consumption are both related to liver disease, with evidence of a supra-additive interaction between the two.

The occurrence of both factors in the same populations should inform health promotion and public health policies.

References:

Effect of body mass index and alcohol consumption on liver disease: analysis of data from two prospective cohort studies. BMJ 2010;340:c1240.
Alcohol literally kills: Gary Moore had 380mg/dL in his blood, Winehouse 416mg/dL when she died surrounded by 3 empty vodka bottles. Telegraph UK, 2012. 

Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.

Should Doctors ‘Prescribe’ a Drink a Day? No.

From the NYTimes:

The evidence regarding wine versus other beverages like grape juice is mixed.

For most people, low-risk drinking is not harmful to health — and may be helpful. However, I would discourage people from drinking in order to improve their health.

Compared with non-drinkers, men who consumed wine, beer, or spirits had a 36% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 34% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Before you recommend wine for cardiovascular risk reduction, consider this:

- One in five men at risk of drinking problem during their lifetimes

- Women have an 8 to 10 percent chance of becoming dependent on alcohol during their lifetimes

- Men have 15% lifetime risk for alcohol abuse, 10% risk for alcohol dependence. Each cuts your life short by 10-15 years.

- Heavy drinking increases risk of depression by 40%, and 80% of people dependent on alcohol are smokers

Alcohol literally kills: Gary Moore had 380mg/dL in his blood, Winehouse 416mg/dL when she died surrounded by 3 empty vodka bottles. Telegraph UK, 2012. 

References:

Should Doctors ‘Prescribe’ a Drink a Day? NYtimes, 2010.

A glass of wine daily may prolong life. How can you predict which patient will have a bottle daily though?

Before you recommend wine for CV risk reduction, consider this: 1 in 5 men at risk of drinking problem
Rethinking Drinking - NIH interactive website
Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.

Comments from Twitter:

OMC ‏ @charlesayanleke: That's a recommendation most peeps can get behind

Tibor Banyai ‏ @tibor75: Do u tell your AF pts to be 100% abstinent? Curious RT @drjohnm: RT @DrVes: Should Doctors ‘Prescribe’ a Drink a Day? No.

John Mandrola, MD ‏ @drjohnm:  No I don't rec abstinence but I don't feel that alcohol adds to health. Mild intake prob neutral. Worry about cancer risk

Video: Consumption of just two drinks increases car crash risk

From Cleveland Clinic:



"New Italian research shows having as little as one alcoholic drink within six hours of driving can increase your risk of a traffic accident by more than two-fold."

Video: Why red wine fights heart disease and cancer in some people

From Cleveland Clinic:



"Theres little debate that drinking moderate amounts of red wine can help the fight against heart disease, Alzheimers disease and some cancers, especially in women. The key to how much your body benefits though, is in your genes."

References:

Before you recommend wine for CV risk reduction, consider this: 1 in 5 men at risk of drinking problem

A glass of wine daily may prolong life. How you can you predict which patient will have a bottle daily though?