h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Medical Benefit of Red Wine - A51943944
Author: resibauer - U13982390

Hey, I'm looking forward to negative and positive feedback and suggestions for improvement! Thanks

Hi Resibauer,

Nice to see you around these parts . This is a useful and informative Entry, and one that I'd considered writing myself

I get really annoyed about the 'Health Police' telling us what we should or should not consume, as I beliebve that, as omnivores, we have the digestive system to cope with most things as long as they're within moderation and the amount we take in is cionsiustent with our activituy levels. Hence, IMO, your Entry strikes just the right tone

I was a bit worried before I started reading that, from the title, you might not mention the so-called negative effects, but then I read this bit:



However, I think you should say something about recent data suggesting that pregnant womewn should not touch alcohol at all

I'm not sure that I believe this; I don't believe that a glass of with the Sunday lunch, or perhaps even more frequently, isa gonna be at all harmful, but I think you should say something about current medical opinion on this

Also mention 'foetal alcohol syndrome

I think you are using GuideML . If so, you can improve the look by using Headers. Use this coding:

The Healthy Amount


with this

A

... then you could link tio this:

A2788563

A

A good entry on a great subject.


I agree with Al about mentioning the effect of alcohol during pregnancy but I think that going into details such as foetal alcohol syndrome (whatever it is) might be going too far.

Hello you two

To see if someone is using guideml it is possible to substitute the A before the number sequence with test, then click on the enter button on your keyboard and hey presto it is possible to see what it looks like. Big Al is right that it would look more aesthetically pleasing to the eye if it was in use. So for that reason I offer up a link to guideml A1123354.

'...but I think that going into details such as foetal alcohol syndrome (whatever it is) might be going too far.'

Well, I wasn't intending that the author 'goes into details' about it. Merely that such an effect exists and then link to the Edited Entry that I gave above.

My mistake.... didn't look at the thread on your 2nd post

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Shouldn't that be:

The above also contradicts: <>. If an average glass is 125ml, then the 'ideal daily amount' would be 3 glasses/day, not 3 glasses/week.

As a sub-editor, I recommend that you don't attempt to change this into GuideML unless you are willing to put some work into getting it right.

If this entry gets picked, the subeditor will be able to add the GuideML in less than a minute. It will take him longer to correct the GuideML if you add it incorrectly yourself.

While I admit to enjoying the occasional glass of red wine myself I feel this article should give more credence to the dangers of alcohol abuse.

(statistics taken from Drink Aware)http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/factsheets/alcohol-and-your-health


Either on its own or in conjunction with other factors, alcohol is estimated to be responsible for at least 33,000 deaths in the UK each year.

In Great Britain, just under a third of men (31%) and one in five women (20%) drink more than the advised weekly limits of 21 and 14 units a week respectively. Some 8% of men and 2% of women drink more than the levels regarded as harmful, namely 50 and 35 units a week respectively.

More than one in 25 adults are dependent on alcohol, and the UK has one of the highest rates of binge drinking in Europe

Hey Resi,

I really enjoyed reading your article - I particularly like your style, it's not entertaining but it reads well and fluent.
I also liked how you portrayed both sides, the positve as well as the negative effects but you sources or quotes seem a bit outdated, maybe you could include some 'new' opinions.
What do today's doctors think about the idea of wine as medicine? Also, what has been mentioned before, you did not write about the effects wine can have on pregnant women and on the foetus.
Along with this, it seems that you (deliberately? ) missed out on the dangers of alcohol abuse - alcohol consumption causes many unnecessary deaths every year.
What also seems to have confused some people are the differend units you used - it would be helpful to stick to one unit throughout the text - glasses, g or whatever it was.

I especially liked your descriptions of how wine has positive effects on our body etc, although you used language from the medical and biological field your article is easy to understand.
Well done.

Hi resibauer and welcome to h2g2

This looks like a well-written and well-researched piece on an important subject.

I see you've attracted a few comments on the content - please let us know how you intend to deal with these.

Icy

Hey everyone,
thanks a lot for your feedback and suggestions for improvement.
I'll work through the article again!

Thanks a lot, you are absolutely right with 'at *most* three glasses'.

Concerning the amount of alcohol: I am talking about two different articles here; and the purpose is exactly to show that they do not agree on a healthy amount. The first suggestes that the 'ideal daily amount is on average 0,2 l for women and 0,4 l for men' --> if an average glass is 125 ml, then women should drink only between 1 and 2 glasses, and men about 3 glasses daily.
In contrast, the other article highlights that the consumption of alcohol should not exceed 2, at most 3 glasses per week!

There is a very good EG entry 'Alcohol Abuse' which would be a suitable link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A695405

Are you still working on this, resibauer, or are you waiting for more comments?

Hi, Resi:

I hope you continue with this. It's always great to have more researchers; and, judging by your bibliograpy, you should qualify!

I suspect that English is not your first language, though I could be wrong. That shouldn't stop you from being a valued member.

The reason I suspect that is merely because you did not pluralise Benefit inyour title. Certainly you mean Medical Benefits?

Just as a matter of personal style, I'd like to see the first line rearranged. I think it may read better as:
Red wine! Most people have at least tried it once - some can not stand it, others prefer beer to it, and a number of people love it - but what, exactly, is it?

I do tend to overuse commas and dashes, so you may want to wait to hear other opinions.

The best of luck to you with the entry!

Resibauer hasn't posted since submitting this entry, however IMO it could go forward as it is and be tidied up by a sub. I would suggest that the bibliography be ditched.

Be rather nice if the author did respond though

I still think it overplays the advantages and ignores all the health advice now being published against its disadvantages - for instance the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer.

He hasn't included a warning about drinking pregnancy either although this has been part of the conversations.

It is not a balanced view in my opinion and I would not like to see it in the guide without a lot more relevant and up to date information that is now available.

Hi, LB:

I'd agree, except that the dangers of alcohol abuse are so well covered in so many places, and is part of almost every family's everyday life. Heavens! We have at least a half dozen entries on the downside!

The entry is specifically designed as a counterbalance for those who understand the advantages of moderation, and the benefits cannot be entirely dismissed, just because some go overboard.

That said, I'm all for relevency. If more relevant information on the upside of drinking wine is available, perhaps you can post it here, to be considered in the apparently necessary rewrite?