April 08, 2009

Drink Up, You'll Need It.


This time, you can blame Vanilla at Half-Fast.

His first cartoon is here; the follow-up is here.

I seem to be powerless to control myself! Part II is better than the first effort, which is not saying much. Though it's a drab gray setting because I needed something with a computer screen. Oh, and I accidentally picked National Start Walking Day to diss walking. Good timing there, Crabby! Go read MizFit; she has an excellent post on why you should start walking today).



(The first episode is here, and is even more lame. (And this new one also appears here if for some reason the player doesn't work).


To Make Up for that Silliness, Now Some Serious Beverage-Related Health News

All good this time!



Alcohol: Though recent studies spoilsport studies like this one have suggested links between alcohol and certain forms of cancer, there is overall good news too. According to a study reported in the New York Times, "for people over 55, an alcoholic drink a day reduces death risk by 28%. But, "having one drink or less a week is no help at all." The geriatric study "included more than 12,000 people, followed them for four years and controlled for factors including sex, race, smoking, obesity, cancer, heart disease, recent heart attack, angina, physical function and socioeconomic status."

And Hot chocolate boosts brain power! Or it least it temporarily makes you more alert. Apparently researchers "asked 30 people to perform an array of math tests before and after having either a chocolate drink or non-chocolate drink... The people who drank the chocolate did better on one test that required repeatedly subtracting 3 from a number between 800 and 999."

Which comes up a lot! I can't TELL you how many times lately I've been asked to subtract the number 3 from a number between 800 and 999.

With only 30 people, and with only one of the "array" of tests apparently showing significant results, I'm not exactly blown away by this study. But hey, hot chocolate is tasty and has lots of antioxidants, so I think it's an awesome beverage.

(Weird aside: do you ever click on "related posts?" I have no idea how this hot chocolate post came up as a "related post" when I was reading about a freaky giant sea worm. Do sea worms drink hot chocolate?)

Coffee again proves it's awesomeness! You can read over at Blisstree (which seems to be the new incarnation of Healthbolt) about how coffee eases exercise-induced muscle pain. Or, you can remind yourself that coffee is a performance enhancer.

But the most cheerful update of all: coffee prevents cognitive decline, and helps ward off scary brain and nerve diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Just don't waste your beverage-enhanced cognitive capabilites by futzing away an entire evening playing with cartoons!

Any thoughts on beverages or on wasting time on the internet playing with movies?

38 comments:

  1. Does this mean I should wait till I'm 55 to start drinking daily because I think that boat has sailed...

    On a hot chocolate note, in Italy, we visited a chocolate factory and the first thing we tried was hot chocolate...I'm talking about REAL HOT CHOCOLATE..like 5% milk or creme and 95% chocolate...talk about antioxidant power!

    ~rupal

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  2. Yay! Two things I love the most - red wine and coffee - aren't going to kill me :0) That's good because they'll never pry either from my hands.

    Wow Rupal, real hot chocolate? That sounds awesome!

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  3. I love coffee!

    Those are pretty much my thoughts at this time of the morning before I've finished my first cup...

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  4. Im a hot chocolate and coffee and PORT drinker.

    any word on PORT?

    Yeah, I thought not :)
    it's like the syrup from the old school canned fruit cocktail in a glass.

    <3

    Miz.

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  5. Hm.

    Coffee mostly no. (I'm a tea drinker.)

    Hot chocolate about once a year (although, yeah, Rupal, the REAL hot chocolate... that would be something else).

    Red wine... definitely! (I like port, too, so surely that counts...)

    It's so, um, comforting that you need to drink daily to get these good effects. This will definitely encourage me to develop more healthy habits...

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  6. I drink two health -promoting cups of coffee every morning. I love hot chocolate and found if I melt down some assorted dark chocolate bars and use them as the drink it is way, way, way, better. A dash of cayenne pepper is never wrong in this concoction, but that's just me.

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  7. Every tried real melted chocolate in milk? MMMMMMMmmmmmmm

    And it does look like I'll have to make a concerted effort to step up my drinking.

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  8. With the cold weather in the US now, even during spring, I'm sure a lot of hot chocolate is being enjoyed!

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  9. It always makes me happy when research allows me to feel smug about something I would do regardless of the consequences.

    "Addicted to caffeine? NO! I'm just a really dedicated athlete. It's my cross to bear."

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  10. Other than water, no other liquids pass my lips--coffee, hot chocolate and cabernet! And I think the video is very funny!

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  11. Heh heh.

    Here's my theory: Since I doubt that I'll remember the glass of wine a day thing when I turn 55 in twenty plus years I'm going to drink as much as I can now so that I have a good surplus built up when I turn 55. Ironically, this makes it even more likely that I won't remember this (or anything) when I turn 55.

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  12. Hmmmmmn? Wha? Sorry, can't comment. Gotta go get me some caffeine...

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  13. I kind of want there to be an episode with the lobster or moo. Or Fran.

    But that's just me.

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  14. Glad to know that coffee IV drip I have is doing me some good...

    "Do sea worms drink hot chocolate?"
    How is it related? Um, maybe they're one of the "natural flavourings"...
    *ducks and runs*

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  15. My cognitive decline may be down, but my heart rate and heart stress will be up! lol. Sheesh. They're just conflicting all over the place. Is it bad, or is it good? I think I'll still stay off of it for now. Unless my decaf counts. Somehow I'm thinking no.

    I think anything that has sugar in it is good for small boosts during cognitive tasks. A small sucker helps. But, this is just for tests...not everyday performance.

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  16. Maybe giant sea worms have trouble with math?

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  17. Oh good, finally when a smug non-coffee addicted person looks down their decaffeinated nose at my coffee drip I can say that coffee is good for me and science proves it.

    Just this morning I was thinking that I should try to cut back on the coffee. Thank you, Crabby, for saving me from a potentially devastating decision. That was close!

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  18. Mmmmm.....hot chocolate!!!!
    I LOVED your movie! (particularly the lumberjack being OK wearing womens' panties! I'll be singing that song all day!)

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  19. Seems like every week there is some new study on cancer and coffee and booze and drugs and rock N Roll. I can't keep up. Last week it was don't drink any alcohol. My vitamin guy told me not to drink coffee (due to cancer dx). So I drink it with almond milk but not soy because soy is a cancer risk on some weeks and not on others but the almond milk hasn't been recalled yet.
    And the latest studies are that Alzheimer's is now being referred to as type 3 diabetes.

    I waste tons of time online with all sorts of things.
    But it's fun, like drinking coffee.

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  20. Excellent! Next week I can start with my daily glass of wine AND I don't have to cut down (or quit) my daily coffee. I guess age really does have its benefits.

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  21. I love my coffee so this is all fine with me! I am getting closer to 55 so I will keep that in mind!

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  22. Love wine, chocolate, and coffee. Yay! But I a long ways off from 55.

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  23. I sometimes just giggle at some of the studies, so many studies, so little time to indulge in everything that the studies find 'helpful' to us :)

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  24. So when I am old I get to break out the booze! Awesome!

    And people are always stopping me, asking me to take a random math test. Happens all the time! I better stock up on the hot chocolate.

    I never drink coffee though - Hmmm . . . maybe I should start. :-)

    Of course, now the big question is: should I put some booze in my coffee and really get some mega benefits!?!!?

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  25. And this just hit me:"accidentally picked National Start Walking Day to diss walking. Good timing there, Crabby!"
    How could they have timed it for the day the maples started to bloom around here? Which means back to the much-detested stationary bike (indoors) for the duration! It's their timing, Crabby, not ours.

    Mary Anne in Kentucky, whining

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  26. I would appreciate it if coffee could stop being awesome since I don't drink it. Red wine and chocolate, however, can stay awesome.

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  27. Burning question:

    He's a lumberjack, and he's OK. Does he also work all night, and sleep all day?

    I think your cartoon is hilarious.

    I also like booze and coffee, and sugar free chocolate now and again.

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  28. So on my next long run, I should take along a bottle each of red wine, coffee and hot chocolate?

    Of course, my fuel belt only carries two bottles, so it'll be one red wine and one mocha.

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  29. Chocolate, cabernet and coffee…mmmmm! :-) I discovered your Cranky Fitness blog a couple of days ago (from a link on another blog) and really enjoy it. The posts are interesting and I can definitely relate. :-) (I've added your link to my blog’s sidebar.)

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  30. Mmm hot chocolate. I used to drink it multiple times daily (was a little obsessed). It's been way too long since I last had some though, I should get on that.

    Red wine, on the other hand... now THAT'S a drink I like to have a few times a week! Got a nice big box sitting in my kitchen hehe.

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  31. Ah I love me some hot chocolate. The good kind - like Rupal commented. And NOW I have a craving thankyouverymuch:)

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  32. A post extolling the virtues of alcohol, coffee and chocolate. Hmmm...is it ratings week in blogland? ;)

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  33. I've never wanted to be 55 so bad. Now I know what I can use to wash down my Viagra.

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  34. The part in the cartoon where we get the exchange "hahaDammit" cracks me up. Even the worst/best actors couldn't give that kind of delivery. Golden.

    Red Wine and Coffee and Chocolate...daily! You are the bestest enabler ever.

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  35. Try Amarone red wine it's got a hint of chocolate in it, fantastic. The best of both worlds.

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  36. I used to detest coffee. Now I have to watch myself because I'll drink 3-4 cups a day if I'm not careful. Weird turn-around.

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  37. Cartoon was hilarious!

    Studies..schuddiies! They change every week and you pointed out the craziness of them, so I just eat and drink what I want anyway.

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  38. I wondered how long before you'd find the cartoon generator.. That was the best one I've seen yet, hysterical, I peed myself laughing because I also had too much coffee and sneezed.

    How'd you get a Crabby who looked so much like you?

    Now I'll probably have to go play with that site, dang!

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