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Riding your bike can offset all that booze according to study

Two-and-a-half hours of exercise a week can help mitigate some of the harmful effects of alcohol

A recent study indicates that those who perform regular physical activity have a reduced risk of death from all causes associated with alcohol. The research, carried out by scientists in London, Canada, Norway and Australia, focused on individuals over the age of 40 – in particular those who drank at between recommended and harmful levels.

As you’d expect, the researchers found that the chance of developing cancer and dying early rose steadily as people consumed more alcohol. However, they also found that exercise cancelled out the increased risk of death and could even reduce it further.

The Telegraph reports that this was the case right up to levels of drinking considered ‘hazardous’ – the equivalent of 35 units for a woman and 49 for a man.

Hazardous drinking usually raises the risk of early death by 20 per cent and the risk of death by cancer by 52 per cent. Performing at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week reduced the risks to 9 per cent and 18 per cent respectively and five hours of activity or more appeared to cancel out the impact of hazardous drinking entirely.

The study looked at six health surveys in England and Scotland carried out between 1994 and 1998, which together involved 36,370 people. Researchers said a quarter of those people performed five or more hours of exercise a week, while just over 60 per cent did not manage 2.5 hours.

Matt Field, Professor of Psychology at the University of Liverpool and part of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies said it appeared that physical activity may partially offset some of the harmful effects of drinking. However, he warned that the researchers had not been able to look at different types of drinking. “We do not know how these findings might generalise to younger adults, particularly if they primarily binge drink rather than spread their alcohol units over the week.”

Professor Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at The Open University, also pointed out that the people who exercised a lot might well have had significantly different diets to those who were less active and that this could well have a bearing on the findings.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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12 comments

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NPlus1Bikelights | 8 years ago
0 likes

From the NHS' excellent ripping-the-press-reporting-of-health-apart service:

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/09September/Pages/can-exercise-offset-some-o...

"As the authors mention, cohort studies such as this are unable to confirm cause and effect " beause of variables like veg.

But I'm going to choose the believe this hype anyway

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fukawitribe | 8 years ago
2 likes

What is this 'veg' of which you speak ?

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StraelGuy replied to fukawitribe | 8 years ago
0 likes

fukawitribe wrote:

What is this 'veg' of which you speak ?

 

A very valid question. My diet consists mainly of pizzas and red wine and I seem to be doing ok.

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Griff500 | 8 years ago
0 likes

...but an interesting gotcha at the end about diet of those who exercise. I suspect most of us eat a lot of fresh veg, which is also known to reduce the incidence of many diseases. Whatever! Keep eating broccoli, keep riding the bike, all bases covered. Now where did I leave the corkscrew?

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FatBoyW | 8 years ago
1 like

I did misread the first post, I thought the ministry of brewery sounded mighty fine.

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Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
4 likes

But what about cake?

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Dr. Ko replied to Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
4 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

But what about cake?

Simply convert the cake into calories.

Calculate your calorie/mile (or calorie/km) number, using the value from powermeter etc.

(If I take the value from the Garmin without heart rate I have to multiply by 0.6)

A rough number is 30-40 calories per mile.

So if you ride to a bakery which is far enough away you might end with a zero value!yes

 

(For home made stuff reduce the calories by the energy required to actually prepare the food!)

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brighty | 8 years ago
10 likes

If you are going to rant Yogic, you look like a right idiot when you clearly don't understand the article. 

The whole point of the research was that the studied included at least these two groups 

a - people who drink a lot

b - people who drink a lot AND exercise over 2.5 or 5 hours a week. 

That is precisely how they know that group b has a lower risk of cancer than group a.

I do do love it when low achievers berate the whole idea of science and research while simultaneously proving the need for it by demonstrating how dumb some people can be. 

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Jack Osbourne snr | 8 years ago
7 likes

Bit of a sweeping assumption of your own there...

I cycle at least 8 hours per week, watch my intake of salt, sugar and saturated fats, so therefore my body is a temple...

Except for the empty wine bottles in the recycling box at my back door which show that I drink far more than is recommended.

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Griff500 replied to Jack Osbourne snr | 8 years ago
0 likes
Jack Osbourne snr wrote:

Bit of a sweeping assumption of your own there...

I cycle at least 8 hours per week, watch my intake of salt, sugar and saturated fats, so therefore my body is a temple...

Except for the empty wine bottles in the recycling box at my back door which show that I drink far more than is recommended.

Me too. Not sure who Yogi cycles with, but most of the cyclists I come across are middle aged professionals who are partial to a drop of red after work. To say that those of us who like to eat sensibly and exercise sensibly also drink sensibly is wide of the mark. The only problem with research like this is it removes some of the guilt!

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Yogic Cyclist | 8 years ago
0 likes

Another study from the ministry of the bleeding obvious. More than likely funded by the brewery's. 

People that exercise at levels that have any true effect on their physical and mental health won't abuse alcohol or food anyway so there is nothing to off set. Another useless study allowing grown up children to remain in life long schooling. 

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TomJ replied to Yogic Cyclist | 8 years ago
5 likes

Yogic Cyclist wrote:

People that exercise at levels that have any true effect on their physical and mental health won't abuse alcohol or food anyway so there is nothing to off set. 

 

You've never been to a rugby club, have you?

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