you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 38 points 1 year ago (23 children)

Alcohol is a carcinogen. No two ways about it. There aren't really "safe" levels for a toxin; it's not a matter of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, it'll gradually and insidiously weaken you by ways of fatty liver disease and worse.

  • source
  • hideshow 23 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    There aren't really "safe" levels for a toxin

    There is, actually. Everything is toxic if you take enough of it. The only difference between what is called "toxic" and is not called "toxic" is that what is called "toxic" has a very low threshold before it is toxic to us.

    Now I'm not here to defend alcohol, but that statement is simply wrong.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] -4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    That is, in fact, not correct. Yes, there are things that have thresholds where they are harmless (e.g. salt), but alcohol isn't one of them. Alcohol, like many other toxic substances, does not have a threshold below, which it is harmless.

    The WHO says the damage starts from the first drop: https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    That was an absolute shit paper. Their methodolgy was horrible and their statistics were even worse. It's seriously so flawed that I gave myself an migraine from eyerolling so hard.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Everything has a threshold from a toxicology point of view.

    Absolutely. Every. Single. Substance.

    I haven't read the article you linked, but it does not matter, as a drop is not an indivisible unit of alcohol. It could already be above the threshold.

    If your body accidentally absorbs a single molecule of ethanol, you'll be just fine.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Good to know that you, random keyboard scientist, know so much more about this topic than the WHO. So much in fact that you don't even have to check the source.

    Let's form a religion around your wisdom. All hail iglou!

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago*

    Alright, I read your article. All it says it that there is no study determining a threshold. That's your source?

    Meanwhile, here is the ECHA page for ethanol, the alcohol most present in alcoholic beverages and the only one "safe" for consumption. You will there find various toxicity thresholds established by studies, although none on humans. But unless you are willing to argue that humans don't have thresholds for alcohol while mice, rats and monkeys do, that doesn't make a difference to the point.

    No need to form a religion, it's just documented science.

    Rather than hailing me, you could learn a bit about toxicology. Because the fact that everything has a threshold is pretty basic.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 29 points 1 year ago (16 children)

    Sunlight is also a carcinogen, but that doesn't mean you always stay indoors.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 16 child comments
  • [–] 22 points 1 year ago (15 children)

    No, of course not. You should apply sunscreen when outdoors

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 15 child comments
  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago* (14 children)

    There's no "safe" level of sunlight, even if you wear sunscreen.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 14 child comments
  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Yeah but you don't have to drink alcohol to live.

    Going outside is unavoidable and using sunscreen, long clothing and a hat, protects you from a lot of the radiation damage.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Most outdoor activities are avoidable. Avoiding those activities entirely is safer than wearing protection.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    10 minutes of sun per day is typically less likely to give you cancer than 0 minutes. Vitamin D (and other compounds involved in the synthesis from cholesterol that you won't get in supplements) upregulate DNA repair polymerases that protect against carcinogens. Of course after a few minutes the costs of UV exposure outweight this benefit though.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    That is a highly myopic, frankly stupid, opinion that isn't even yours - you're just repeating things that you heard.

    The deleterious health effects from not getting sun exposure vastly outweigh the potential DNA damage from sun exposure.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

    What deleterious health effects from not getting sun exposure?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Vitamin D deficiency. Rickets. Osteopathic problems. Seasonal Affective Disorder. Weight gain. Etc.

    https://distance.physiology.med.ufl.edu/what-are-the-effects-of-not-getting-enough-sunlight/

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago*

    You can get the RDA of vitamin D from a healthy diet, without need for sunlight.

    Weight gain is caused by diet and lack of exercise, not lack of sunlight.

    SAD can be treated with non-carcinogenic lamps.

  • source
  • parent