Reuters reported 17 Apr 07 that taking a break from alcohol for a couple days each week (for men who drink regularly and heavily) may benefit their health, according to Japanese researchers.
The study included 89,000 middle-aged men and women who were followed for up to 13 years. The analysis was confided to the men because the number of female drinkers was so small. These findings gave some credibility to the widespread social belief in Japan that a "liver holiday" – a few days off from drinking each week – would help counter the ill effects of alcohol. One of the researchers commented that one possibility was that those who drunk everyday, might be more exposed to acetaldehyde, a byproduct of alcohol metabolism that was thought to promote cancer.
However, the findings don't suggest that a few binges each week will do no harm, the study's lead author cautioned. "This does not mean you can drink a lot as long as you have a 'liver holiday", said Dr. Tomomi Marugame, of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, April 2007.
The study included 89,000 middle-aged men and women who were followed for up to 13 years. The analysis was confided to the men because the number of female drinkers was so small. These findings gave some credibility to the widespread social belief in Japan that a "liver holiday" – a few days off from drinking each week – would help counter the ill effects of alcohol. One of the researchers commented that one possibility was that those who drunk everyday, might be more exposed to acetaldehyde, a byproduct of alcohol metabolism that was thought to promote cancer.
However, the findings don't suggest that a few binges each week will do no harm, the study's lead author cautioned. "This does not mean you can drink a lot as long as you have a 'liver holiday", said Dr. Tomomi Marugame, of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, April 2007.
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