Study: Alcohol at lunch not so good

By JASON M. PRUCEY
Collegian Staff Writer

Penn State students who drink moderately at lunch might be alarmed by recently published research findings indicating that moderate alcohol consumption is not as beneficial for the heart as was previously thought.

Moderate alcohol consumption is actually strenuous for the heart and increases cardiovascular responses, according to a paper published in last month's issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol. The paper, titled "The Acute Effect of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Responses in Women," was published by Mary E. Nicholson, professor of health education and biobehavioral health at Penn State, and five associates from University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

The research was conducted for a little more than one month at the University of Alabama.

About 50 percent of students who eat lunch at Cafe 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., drink moderately with their meals, said Hal McCullough, owner of the cafe. But only about 25 percent of customers drink alcohol with lunch at Chili's Grill and Bar, 137 S. Allen St., said John Skumanich, the restaurant's general manager.

And Amanda Bechtel (sophomore-German and English) thinks that the findings will have little impact on the campus community.

"I don't think people really care," she said. "Look at the number of people who smoke. That is much more detrimental."

For the study, a group of 10 women -- five young and five older -- consumed moderate doses of alcohol before pedaling stationary bicycles. Each woman also performed the same task without drinking alcohol.

The study, which focused on the effects of drinking during the day, measured oxygen consumption and heart rate, said MinQi Wang, associate professor of health studies at the University of Alabama and a researcher involved in the study.

"Everyone successfully completed the task, but cardiovascular response was higher than that of the control group," Wang said. "The research found that pedaling required more energy."

This means that moderate doses of alcohol can be strenuous for the heart, he said.

Carin Roberts (freshman-communications) believes that moderate drinking can still be beneficial.

"From what I've read, drinking red wine in small doses is good. It should be used for medical treatments if it has some beneficial function," Roberts said. People should be aware of all its effects in order to use it properly, she said.

When the research was conducted three years ago, moderate drinking was associated with decreased cardiovascular disease, Wang said.

"We thought it could be true, but thought it could have a temporary impairment," he said.

There are many confounding factors that might have influenced the research, including an individual's health and economic status, Wang said.

"I would like to see a replication of the study. Next time, I would set up a more stringent study with tight controls," Wang said. But he did notice some change from when the women drank the alcohol, he said.

The research was limited because of funding, and blood samples would also have been collected had the project received more money, Wang said.

Wang plans to conduct a similar study next month involving eight black males and eight white males. The research will contain more control factors and will collect heart rate data and blood pressure, Wang said.

Nicholson refused to comment on the findings.