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Cooper Center Study on Fitness, Alcohol and longevity

Posted by Paul @phoenixpal, Oct 22, 2022

I stumbled on this study last month (actually I was searching for such a study, as it's an obsession of mine 😉 It's the study I've been longing to read. 30,000 men followed for 30 years to see the effect that fitness and alcohol had on their longevity.

Conclusion: When compared to fitness, alcohol in any amount had no significant/statistical impact on the longevity of these 30,000 men.

"An examination of the joint effects of fitness and alcohol on all-cause mortality showed that moderate and high fitness levels were protective against mortality irrespective of alcohol consumption levels."

When I retired, my uncle cautioned me that alcohol and retirement are a dangerous cocktail. But, as with so many, my wife and I enjoy our evening cocktails, before dinner and after.

But... that morning I will have spent an intense hour long cardio workout in the pool (3000 yds IM/Free w/70 burpees to warm up) or an hour long fast bike ride. We eat well, very little meat anymore. At 6ft I weigh in the low 170s.

The Cooper Center study has helped me relax about not meeting "recommended daily alcohol consumption" that my doctor likes to guilt me with lol.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22516485/

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Paul | @phoenixpal | Oct 24, 2022

So... Great feedback. Enjoying reading it.

I am a little surprised though that alcohol has become the focal point and not fitness, which was not my intent. But I can see from the way I expressed myself at the start, alcohol became the main subject.

And yet... I also deduce from the Cooper study that fitness is of greater import and consequence. Without fitness we risk obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, even likely mental heath issues. And they say that fitness is also a defense against some cancers, slowing down their progression. I think these are bigger factors in Aging Well than just alcohol.

As @karen22 implied, the Grim Reaper will get us all one way or another eventually. Even Jack Lalanne! I used to swim on a Masters team with older guys. In the locker room we joked that we were still swimming hard because we "wanted to be healthy when we died" 😉

When I retired, a friend gave me the book "Younger Next Year". Highly recommended!. The author's main message is that, now that you are retired and not spending all those hours in the office, you're getting old and you HAVE to devote a significant amount of time and priority to cardio/aerobic and muscle health. Not just the golf course.

Easy for me because I have always gotten up early to run before work.
Like drinking I guess everyone has an idea of what the right amount of exercise is, from a walk around the block to a hard training triathlete. And "Younger Next Year" is very clear about what that right amount is. And his "Harry's Rules" are spot on.

REPLY
1 reply
imallears | @imallears | Oct 24, 2022

@phoenixpal

Aptly said but you opened up an important conservation. We all agree about fitness and health...what we don't understand is the potential risk of alcohol addiction. We all have our views and opinions. Thanks again for the link to the article...it was an interesting view. I think we can put this baby to bed.

Live, love and enjoy

FL Mary

REPLY
mazeppabob | @mazeppabob | Oct 25, 2022
In reply to @phoenixpal "So... Great feedback. Enjoying reading it. I am a little surprised though that alcohol has become..." + (show)
@phoenixpal

So... Great feedback. Enjoying reading it.

I am a little surprised though that alcohol has become the focal point and not fitness, which was not my intent. But I can see from the way I expressed myself at the start, alcohol became the main subject.

And yet... I also deduce from the Cooper study that fitness is of greater import and consequence. Without fitness we risk obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, even likely mental heath issues. And they say that fitness is also a defense against some cancers, slowing down their progression. I think these are bigger factors in Aging Well than just alcohol.

As @karen22 implied, the Grim Reaper will get us all one way or another eventually. Even Jack Lalanne! I used to swim on a Masters team with older guys. In the locker room we joked that we were still swimming hard because we "wanted to be healthy when we died" 😉

When I retired, a friend gave me the book "Younger Next Year". Highly recommended!. The author's main message is that, now that you are retired and not spending all those hours in the office, you're getting old and you HAVE to devote a significant amount of time and priority to cardio/aerobic and muscle health. Not just the golf course.

Easy for me because I have always gotten up early to run before work.
Like drinking I guess everyone has an idea of what the right amount of exercise is, from a walk around the block to a hard training triathlete. And "Younger Next Year" is very clear about what that right amount is. And his "Harry's Rules" are spot on.

Jump to this post

Paul, the first two sentences of your original post kind of set the tone for me. You said you were searching for and longing to read a study that showed alcohol had no adverse effect on longevity. Thus implying that cocktails and happyhour are harmless.

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