Alcohol, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

One thing I’ve noticed in compiling in this blog’s daily Breakfast Buffet entry: One week there’s some story about on how alcohol is good for you; the next week it’s bad for you. Good for you. Bad for you. It’s as if every study is being conducted by a bi-polar scientist.

Fortunately I am not alone in my frustration. Liquor specialist and author Camper English began collecting a list of  “alcohol is (blank)” articles on his Web site Alcademics. In the 10 months since he started the project, he’s found 22 studies ranging from the very optimistic — “Light alcohol consumption may help bones” — to articles about how drinking leads to blindness, cancer and smaller brains.

One study might not mean much but looking at 22 studies combined, some things become clearer.