Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

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Jesper
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Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by Jesper »

The wiki page on alcohol consumption - https://www.apoe4.info/wiki/Alcohol_consumption - states that in the cited studies, the infrequent drinkers may have been binge drinkers, thus perhaps leaving some room for uncertainty about the effects of moderate alcohol consumption in E4s. I was wondering if anyone here has tried having small amounts of alcohol regularly, and if so, what the effects were, subjective or otherwise.

The reason I ask is because there is a rather striking frequency of whiskey and brandy drinkers* amongst the oldest people in history. That could be purely coincidental, of course, but the fact is that both whiskey and brandy contain polyphenolic compounds and tannins, which can plausibly confer health benefits, just as polyphenols in chocolate do, for example. Thus, there is a plausible mechanism that accompanies the association. Many of them would just have a small amount, and I'd be looking to have about a tablespoon daily.

*Here are a few supercentenarians who had either whiskey or brandy regularly (this list is by no means exhaustive): Richard Overton, Eva Morris, Fred Hale, Emma Morano, John McMorran, Henry Allingham, Emmeline Brice, Louisa Shephard, Margaret Neve, Charlotte Hughes, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, Lucy, d'Abreu, George Johnson, Antonia Rivera, Grace Catherine Jones, Agnes Fenton.
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by circular »

I hope you're right! Pass the brandy! :D
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Jesper
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by Jesper »

IKR! :D
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by PRESCOTT »

My experience at age 68 is that moderate, even wine, consumption affects my sleep, I wake up in the middle of the night. Another issue is the sugar content in alcohol. I am mostly sugar free, I do notice the difference. I love a drink as much as anyone, I gifted a friend today with a good bottle of Rye Whiskey. I just fine it better for me to stay away from whiskeys and hard liquor completely, a rare glass of wine or beer on special occasions only. My subjective opinion.


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CarrieS
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by CarrieS »

I've been finding that whiskey (darker spirits in general) don't agree with me much at all any more.
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by Fiver »

As much as I'd like to believe it, the phenolic content of whiskey - for example - is very low compared to coffee, tea, or many plants we eat. Maybe the production process creates some unusual molecules and maybe the alcohol helps with delivery. But, I kinda doubt it. I did some reading, I could do more to confirm this, but it seems unlikely. I suppose it could influence gut microbes....but since I don't generally drink my microbes are on their own.
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by NewRon »

There's a Dr Roger Corder in the UK who's a polyphenol scientist and he had a website some years ago, where different wines were graded and sold on their polyphenol content. Unfortunately it didn't last.

Tannat (Madiran) came out as the healthiest grape iirc. Anyway, he's very approachable and would be delighted to discuss the subject, if someone were to ask him some half intelligent questions!

http://www.the-red-wine-diet.com/
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by sarahb12 »

Well, there is (one) study that shows alcohol (even moderate) is detrimental for E4s. I suspect that in the past alcohol helped longevity because it killed microbes. For example, in the london cholera outbreaks (before they learned not to eject sewage upstream of water intake in river), those that drank alcohol did better. (the liberal scientist were the bad guys and made fun of - by the water company- for suggesting invisible bugs).

Although there is a microbe theory of AD - however, the biggest suspects are dental issues and HSV - so I'm not sure alcohol consumption would helpl
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by AnnK »

Hi Jesper:

Interesting question! My APOE3/4 Mother will soon be approaching 87 and has consumed brandy her entire adult life. When I stayed with my parents years ago, I noticed it was a pre-dinner cocktail every night. She might not drink as much any more, but when we give her a bottle of brandy for her birthday every year, it has never gone to waste. I'm not sure if that is the secret to her longevity or not. Her total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL have always been high, but she can't tolerate statins. She smoked several packs of cigarettes a day up through her 50's, is overweight, has high blood pressure, and eats a standard American diet with plenty of sugar. On the other hand, she has always been socially active, goes to the club/gym at least 2-3 times a week, reads, gardens, does puzzles/word finders regularly, and takes Omega-3 supplements along with Vitamin K2, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin A. Has brandy helped her all these years? She claims that her yearly treat of lutefisk over the holidays is the key to staying healthy. As for me...I'm also an APOE3/4 but I don't care for the taste of whisky/brandy or eat lutefiske (I do drink wine and beer on occasion), so I'll have to leverage other preventive measures :o)

Take care!
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Re: Whiskey/brandy for longevity?

Post by NF52 »

AnnK wrote:Hi Jesper:

Interesting question! My APOE3/4 Mother will soon be approaching 87 and has consumed brandy her entire adult life. When I stayed with my parents years ago, I noticed it was a pre-dinner cocktail every night...She smoked several packs of cigarettes a day up through her 50's, is overweight, has high blood pressure, and eats a standard American diet with plenty of sugar. ...She claims that her yearly treat of lutefisk over the holidays is the key to staying healthy...
AnnK
Your mother must be descended from the Vikings, since only a Swede or a Minnesotan (I assume) would have lutefisk on the holidays. She has not only avoided Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative diseases, she has avoided cancers caused by all that smoking, cardio-vascular disease, strokes and diabetes. At 87, she's also exceeded the lifespan predicted for people to get AD (about 20-25% of people her age would be expected to be diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment or dementia by the age of 85. So she should keep enjoying the lutefisk and the brandy, IMHO--along with her friends, family and brain stimulation!
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