Q: It's now being reported that there's no amount of alcohol consumption that's good for you. I thought it was good for the heart to have one or two glasses of wine a day. What's the story?-Tyler, K., New Orleans
A: For years, we docs have said that one alcoholic drink for women and one or two for men is an acceptable daily health risk because alcohol has cardiovascular benefits, even though it also increases the risk of cancer (for example, drinking anything alcoholic ups breast cancer risk for women). But now, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that drinking that amount may increase a person's risk of premature death by 20 percent.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 400,000 people and found that even when folks had slight improvements in cardiovascular health, their risk of other health-related problems, such as cancer, outweighed the benefits. That study came on the heels of research published in The Lancet that reviewed data from more than 700 studies and concluded there's no amount of alcohol that's good for you.
However, these were self-reported observational studies and all observational studies can be skewed when people misreport how much they drink and their health info and habits, whether intentionally or not. That said, we docs are continuing our regular, low consumption.
But before you decide whether to keep drinking or not-it is an individual choice-check out Go Sober For October, a fundraising effort in the U.K. that attracted more than 66,800 SoberHeros and raised almost $1.9 million for the registered charity MacMillan Cancer Support. It encourages folks to give up alcohol for one month and discover the benefits. One SoberHero, Kathy, who quit for the month, said, "After the four weeks, I felt like a different person. I don't drink hardly anything anymore. I feel absolutely amazing. I feel revitalized." So maybe you want to start your own Sober Drive and raise money for a charity you feel strongly about. Cheers!
Q: My husband was just diagnosed with gallstones, and he's taking a medication called ursodiol. They say it's made from polar bear urine. Is that true, and how does it work?-Sandy H., Delray Beach, Florida
A: Well, yes, it is made from bear urine, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Urso (the brand name) comes from the Latin word "ursus," meaning "bear," but most ursodiol (the generic name for ursodeoxycholic acid) is synthetically derived in the lab.
It's commonly used to prevent and treat gallstones (it helps dissolve them) and other gallbladder problems. It's also used for people undergoing bariatric surgery, because rapid weight loss can trigger gallstone formation. And people with the autoimmune disease primary biliary cholangitis (previously called primary biliary cirrhosis, or PBC) often take it to help protect their bile ducts and keep lousy LDL cholesterol in check.
Bear urine has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to treat liver problems. The most common source of ursodiol in the Far East is the Asiatic black bear. The brown bear also is a source. In fact, all bears (except the giant panda), have ursodeoxycholic acid in their urine. Today, throughout China, Laos, Vietnam, South Korea and Myanmar, there are bear farms-it was the only way to stop them from being hunted into extinction-where bears are held in captivity and their bile collected. According to the British daily The Guardian, as of 2015 there were around 12,000 bears held in captivity on bear farms. Hopefully, with the advent of synthetic ursodiol, bear bile factories in the East will be closed.
That said, the medical community owes bears a lot. Researchers are currently exploring using bacteria in the saliva of the East Siberian brown bear-a complex source of microbes with potential antibiotic properties-to rapidly assesses potentially lifesaving antibiotics. Just bear with them a little longer.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at [email protected].
(c) 2018 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.