Monday, August 06, 2007

Booze & kids

The debate over whether alcopops are designed to adapt the tastes of immature sugar-loving adolescents to drinking booze is ridiculous. Of course this is the intention. Who else would drink these sugary nasties!

Booze consumption in Australia has stabilised over recent decades so the only way to grow the market is to create a new generation of boozers.

The 'insider' revelations that the industry is targeting youth published in the press this morning should not surprise anyone. This is exactly parallel to the strategy of tobacco companies seeking to promote youth smoking - with reduced social acceptibility of smoking among adults and with high mortality from smoking the only way to grow this market is to encourage youth smoking.

Alcohol doesn't cause lung cancers but it does induce other cancers and does cause brain damage - 6 drinks a day over 8-10 years puts a male at high risk of damage.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

6 drinks a day is alcoholic. Of course that is going to cause damage.

The difference between alcohol and tobacco is that small amounts of alcohol are good for one's cardiovascular health, whereas any tobacco consumption is bad for health. Unlike alocohol, tobacco harms the health of those who use it if they use it exactly as intended by the manufacturer.

Of course, manufacturers of alcohol who target the under 18 market should themselves be targeted by the health and legal authorities.

hc said...

These points correct though can get benefits from alcohol in other ways.

Anonymous said...

Actually, the points are not correct, unless you mean "exceptionally small amounts".

I believe the inflection point in terms of benefit for women is half a glass of wine per day (I wish I could find the study), because the benefits trade-off with increased cancer quickly. If I remember, the male rate is higher, but still quite low (1 glass of wine per day). This (and almost all studies looking at it), also do not take into account calories you get from alcohol.

Anonymous said...

A glass a day isn't exceptionally small. I don't drink at all Mon-Thurs and have at most 2 per day Fri - Sun. Most people I know are about the same.

hc said...

I think you are correct Conrad. The optimal ingestion is age and gender dependent - much less benefits if you are under age 35.

A google search under 'optimal alcohol consumption' will get you to the literature.