Moderate alcohol consumption

[Rabi Mansur]

My doctor recently highly recommended that I drink one glass of wine per day. My HDL has always been low despite trying fish oil, lots of exercise, lipitor, etc. He wants me to try alcohol in moderation in order to improve my lipid profile; he also mentioned some other health benefits associated with alcohol but I have been reluctant to try it in the past. I've never been a drinker and the last time I drank alcohol was probably 20 years ago.

Lately I've thought I might like to try this and see if it helps.

Anyway, does Islam allow for something like this? If it is doctor recommended are there exceptions to abstaining that are allowed in Islam? Or are there no exceptions?

[Insaanah]

My doctor recently highly recommended that I drink one glass of wine per day. My HDL has always been low despite trying fish oil, lots of exercise, lipitor, etc. He wants me to try alcohol in moderation in order to improve my lipid profile; he also mentioned some other health benefits associated with alcohol but I have been reluctant to try it. I've never been a drinker and the last time I drank alcohol was probably 20 years ago.

I would like to try this and see if it helps.

Anyway, does Islam allow for something like this? If it is doctor recommended are there exceptions in Islam?

Article: Alcohol's health benefits doubted

Any heart gains from drinking alcohol in moderation are likely outweighed by the harm, say researchers.
The findings in The Lancet suggest that drinking a glass or two of wine a day may not be such a good idea.

Although past research suggests some heart benefits, the New Zealand team says the studies were flawed.

Indeed, there is more evidence that heavier drinking provides the most heart protection - alcoholics have relatively 'clean' arteries - they say.

However, in this instance the other health risks definitely outweigh the benefits. Lead researcher Dr Rod Jackson, from the University of Auckland, and his team said: "Any coronary protection from light to moderate drinking will be very small and unlikely to outweigh the harms.

"While moderate to heavy drinking is probably coronary-protective, any benefit will be overwhelmed by the known harms.

"If so, the public health message is clear. Do not assume there is a window in which the health benefits of alcohol are greater than the harms - there is probably no free lunch."

Various studies published in the 1970s and 1980s suggested alcohol, in moderation, could be good for the heart.

'Festive tipple is OK'

These early observations were confirmed by pooling together of findings from different studies, which suggested a 20% to 25% reduction in heart disease risk linked to light drinking.

But Dr Jackson's team said that the way the studies were carried out did not allow the researchers to be able to say with certainty that the findings could not due to other factors rather than solely the amount of alcohol consumed.


Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation said: "This suggests that light to moderate alcohol consumption may only give a small amount of protection against coronary heart disease, while the benefits of moderate to heavy drinking are likely to be outweighed by the overall harm that alcohol can also cause.

"The good news is that people can still enjoy alcohol in moderation, especially during the festive period. There is no evidence to suggest that light to moderate alcohol consumption will actually harm the heart. However over indulging can have an adverse effect on your health.

"We should not encourage people to start drinking specifically to protect their heart, as there are much safer options.
"Our advice remains the same - the best way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to quit smoking if you smoke, increase levels of physical activity and eat a healthy balanced diet."

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4491314.stm

Regardless of the above, our main source is the Qur'an

"They ask you concerning INTOXICANTS (Alcohol and other Drugs)...Say: In them is great harm and some benefits for humankind. But the harm of them is much greater than their benefit (Qur'an 2:219)

So it's not allowed.

EDIT: see also this verse:*{You who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination of Satan's handiwork. Eschew such abomination, that you may prosper. Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer; will you not then abstain?}* (Al-Ma'idah 5:90-91)

[Woodrow]

My doctor recently highly recommended that I drink one glass of wine per day. My HDL has always been low despite trying fish oil, lots of exercise, lipitor, etc. He wants me to try alcohol in moderation in order to improve my lipid profile; he also mentioned some other health benefits associated with alcohol but I have been reluctant to try it in the past. I've never been a drinker and the last time I drank alcohol was probably 20 years ago.

Lately I've thought I might like to try this and see if it helps.

Anyway, does Islam allow for something like this? If it is doctor recommended are there exceptions to abstaining that are allowed in Islam? Or are there no exceptions?

To be honest I would question your Doctor's qualifications. While there is evidence that moderate alcohol consumption can provide some benefits, these same benefits can be gained through a good exercise regimine and healthy diet. If a diet of cold water lean fish and/or fish oil have not been able to increase your HDL I doubt if "moderate" alcohol consumption would help

[جوري]

just have red grape juice it will give you the same 'benefits' without the ethanol..

Grape Juice or Wine: How Does Grape Juice Compare?
Grape juice is also a good source of heart healthy flavonoids, although some sources report that the flavonoid content is lower than that found in red wine. One study published in the Journal of Biomedical

showed that the flavonoid content of grape juice was roughly similar to that of red wine and one particular type, known as anthocyanins, were better absorbed from grape juice than from red wine. It’s believed that the higher sugar content of grape juice increases the absorption of anthocyanins.



http://www.xomba.com/which_healthier...or_grape_juice

:wa:

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[Rabi Mansur]

شكرا


I appreciate your insights.

[OurIslamic]

I think you should get a second opinion.

[Chuck]

I would recommend use vinegar from red grapes and red grape juice if that suits you. Vinegar you mix in food, don't drink it like in a glass.

[meer5sd]

I think you should go to another specialist doctor

[meer5sd]

i think you should consult another specialist doctor

[Insaanah]

Drinking alcohol ‘raises risk of developing cancer’

Helen Puttick Health Correspondent

8 Apr 2011

ONE in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women across western Europe are caused by alcohol, researchers have claimed.

At least 13,000 cases of cancer a year in the UK are the result of alcohol, according to the study. Even small amounts raise the risk of developing the disease.

NHS guidelines state that men should drink no more than three to four units a day while women should not go above two to three units a day. But research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found cancer risks at even lower levels.

Alcohol creates a chemical when it is broken down by the body that can damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer.

The cancer burden it causes was assessed as part of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (Epic), one of the largest-ever studies into links between diet and the illness. It involved more than 360,000 men and women aged 35 to 70.

Alcohol intake at recruitment stage in the 1990s was noted, and the follow-up examined how many developed cancer.

Other factors – such as family history, obesity and smoking – were taken into account to give a picture of the toll taken by drinking above guidelines of 24g of alcohol a day for men and 12g a day for women.

Researchers found that 3% of cancers in men were linked to drinking less than 24g of alcohol a day and more than 18% were down to drinking more than 24g a day. In women, 1% of cancers were down to drinking less than 12g of alcohol a day while 4% were due to drinking more than 12g of alcohol daily. Some 17% of bowel cancers in men were linked to drinking, as were 5% of breast cancers in women.

The authors, from universities and hospitals across Europe, said: “Our data shows that many cancer cases could have been avoided if alcohol consumption was limited to two drinks a day for men and one alcoholic drink a day for women.”

“More cancer cases would be prevented if people reduced their alcohol intake to below guidelines or stopped drinking alcohol at all.”

Alcohol consumption in Scotland is 25% higher than the rest of the UK with residents consuming 23 units a week.

Dr Evelyn Gillan, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “So many cancers could be avoided if people reduced their alcohol intake.”

Source

Link to the original research published in the British Medical Journal on 7th April 2011

[Cabdullahi]

i think you should consult another specialist doctor

[Cabdullahi]

i think you should consult another specialist doctor

[Little_Lion]

Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself as a patient; if you tell your doctor that you do not want to consume alcohol for religious reasons and that you want to check other avenues, he should respect that and offer alternatives. I wouldn't consider it just because a doctor told you it might be good for you, especially when the cons are appearing from recent studies to outweigh the pros. Add another vote to the "get a second opinion" pile (but I'll only post it once. ;) )

[Tyrion]

Lol, people should pay more attention to thread dates... This question was asked almost 2 years ago...

[Woodrow]

there are alternatives to wine for health purposes. Some examples being fresh grape juice. A handfull of raisins, Any natural halal vinegar diluted with water and sweetened with honey.

[Insaanah]

:sl:

Lol, people should pay more attention to thread dates... This question was asked almost 2 years ago...

I know you were speaking generally and not to any one person, but just to explain that I'm not attempting to answer the question here. Indeed this thread was started when brother Rabi had not yet embraced Islam. My guess is that now, there is no need to ask that question. But given the often dispensed advice that moderate alcohol consumption is good for the health (such as he received at that time from his Dr), I'm now using the thread to post articles that show that moderate alcohol consumption is actually not as beneficial to the health as once thought, such as the new research I posted that was published three days ago.

:sl:

[Ramadhan]

Lol, people should pay more attention to thread dates... This question was asked almost 2 years ago...

And Rabi Mansur has since reverted to Islam. Alhamdulillah
I think he was still a non-muslim when asked this question.