Having a drop of whiskey can help reduce the risk of cancer according to the latest report on the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.
The suggestion that the odd drop of mature Scotch malt might be taken partly, if not purely, for medicinal purposes was offered at the opening of a scientific conference in Glasgow yesterday by -- you've guessed it -- a consultant to the whiskey industry.
Previous claims have been made for whiskey's help in protecting against heart disease, but Jim Swan suggested that its antioxidants, in the form of ellagic acid, worked to cut the risk of cancer too, by waging war on the unstable free radical atoms or molecules that hastened the need for cell replication. The more cells were replicated, the more chance of developing rogue cancer cells, he said.
Whiskey's health benefits might be greater than red wine's, despite the latter's far better-known reputation, he claimed.
"Single malt whiskies have more ellagic acid than red wine. Ellagic acid is a highly effective free radical scavenger that absorbs or eats up rogue cells that occur in our bodies during eating," he said.
"The free radicals can break down the DNA structure of our existing cells, which then leads to the risk of the body making replacement rogue cancer cells. So whether you indulge in the odd tipple, or you are a serious connoisseur, whiskey can protect you from cancer and science proves it," he said.
Swan, who is currently assisting four new distillery start-ups, was speaking to the EuroMedlab conference hosted by the Association of Clinical Biochemists.
"We are talking about the odd dram. I am not talking about a bottle a day," he said, adding that the effect would be greater in well-aged whisky rather than a cheap blend.
Cancer Research UK warns that drinking too much can increase the risk of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver and bowel.
"We are very concerned that whiskey is being promoted as a cancer prevention agent in the absence of population data to support it. On the contrary, there is considerable data documenting the link between drinking excess alcohol and the increased risk of cancers, particularly in smokers," said Lesley Walker, the charity's head of cancer information.
Former Nicaraguan president Violeta Chamorro, who brought peace to Nicaragua after years of war and was the first woman elected president in the Americas, died on Saturday at the age of 95, her family said. Chamorro, who ruled the poor Central American country from 1990 to 1997, “died in peace, surrounded by the affection and love of her children,” said a statement issued by her four children. As president, Chamorro ended a civil war that had raged for much of the 1980s as US-backed rebels known as the “Contras” fought the leftist Sandinista government. That conflict made Nicaragua one of
COMPETITION: The US and Russia make up about 90 percent of the world stockpile and are adding new versions, while China’s nuclear force is steadily rising, SIPRI said Most of the world’s nuclear-armed states continued to modernize their arsenals last year, setting the stage for a new nuclear arms race, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said yesterday. Nuclear powers including the US and Russia — which account for about 90 percent of the world’s stockpile — had spent time last year “upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions,” researchers said. Since the end of the Cold War, old warheads have generally been dismantled quicker than new ones have been deployed, resulting in a decrease in the overall number of warheads. However, SIPRI said that the trend was likely
BOMBARDMENT: Moscow sent more than 440 drones and 32 missiles, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, in ‘one of the most terrifying strikes’ on the capital in recent months A nighttime Russian missile and drone bombardment of Ukraine killed at least 15 people and injured 116 while they slept in their homes, local officials said yesterday, with the main barrage centering on the capital, Kyiv. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said 14 people were killed and 99 were injured as explosions echoed across the city for hours during the night. The bombardment demolished a nine-story residential building, destroying dozens of apartments. Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble. Russia flung more than 440 drones and 32 missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki yesterday erupted again with giant ash and smoke plumes after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancelations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 5km into the sky on Tuesday evening to yesterday afternoon. An eruption on Tuesday afternoon sent thick, gray clouds 10km into the sky that expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud visible as much as 150km kilometers away. The eruption alert was raised on Tuesday to the highest level and the danger zone where people are recommended to leave was expanded to 8km from the crater. Officers also
RSS