Alcohol

I don't think anyone would argue that underage drinking is a huge problem.

Not only does it reap havoc on the health of developing teens, but the impacts on society are devastating as well. As a former teacher, I would often have students who were possibly intoxicated while in class or nursing a hang-over from the night before.

Foxborough School in MA is taking action by breath testing students at dances, extra-curricular activities and even during the school day if alcohol use is suspected.

Crack open a magazine from the 1960s or 1970s and you'll find an abundance of cigarettes ads. It's almost startling, like a creepy trip back in time.

But today you'd be hard-pressed to find a single advertisement. It's all part of an effort to keep people and kids from having a puff.

And now the U.K. is eyeing similar action against alcohol. A total ban on advertising, coupled with a tax on drinks higher than the inflation rate.

If you're hung over, the last thing you feel like doing is taking a hike or going to the gym. All you want is the cool embrace of the side of the toilet bowl!

So, it's pretty surprising to hear people who do a lot of drinking actually exercise more than abstainers.

Football players are big dudes, pumping iron and pounding protein shakes to gain weight, especially "skill" position players like running backs.

And, you can't break off too many 80-yard runs if you're built like a baby elephant. Ever see a 320 pound lineman pick up a loose ball and stumble 10-yards, before being tackled by a 180 pound safety. That's why chronically chunky Tennessee Titans running back Lendale White quit drinking to cut his weight in preparation for the 2009 season.

Experts have advised the UK Government to change the guidelines for safe drinking: currently 2-3 units per day for women, and 3-4 units per day for men.

Liver specialist, Dr Nick Sheron (Alcohol Health Alliance UK), says the old guidelines were based on sound research, which stated a weekly limit of 21 units per week for men, and 14 units per week for women, and emphasised the need for alcohol-free days.

Bar hopping is fun. I know, I just did some in New York City this weekend. But, if you make a habit out of it, you've got problems. And I'm not talking about hangovers and coyote ugly!

Regular heavy drinking increases the risk of developing different types of cancer, such as esophageal, stomach, colon, liver, pancreatic, lung and prostate cancer. Wow!

Beer pong and funneling have become synonymous with college. And the perception is not unfounded. New research shows heavy drinking among college kids is steadily on the rise.

Writing in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, experts say drinking-related deaths in college students, ages 18 to 24, have jumped from 1,440 a year in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005.

I consider myself pretty healthy. I'm a near vegetarian, I exercise a lot and I don't do drugs. But, I drink. Cut me some slack - I'm young, single and booze is the perfect icebreaker.

But, drinking comes with a price - and I'm not talking about a $12 Heineken at a Yankees game. A new report claims alcohol is a common risk factor in suicides.

Gout, a disease often associated with rich men and rich foods, is making a comeback. As the American population becomes older and heavier, instances of the disease are rising.

Gout is actually a very painful form of arthritis, affecting the big toe and other joints, and is sometimes called "the disease of kings."

Red wine drinkers have been toasting to better health and longer life with all of the news pieces on the miracle that is resveratrol - a component of red grape skin and some other fruits. Let's sift through the claims and hype and see where the dust settles.

This article is a response to Light Drinking While Pregnant Now Okay?. Emphasis added by Diet Blog Editor.

A rash of recent newspaper stories suggesting that light drinking during pregnancy may be beneficial for an unborn child are alarming to many of those in the medical community. These misleading and irresponsible reports followed a recently published study by the University College, London suggesting that 3-year-old children whose mothers drank "lightly" during pregnancy were not at risk for certain behavioral problems. The erroneous interpretation by the lay press about some "beneficial" effects of drinking during pregnancy was NOT part of the study's findings.

Indeed, the comments by the media also run counter to research studies indicating that low levels of alcohol can damage a fetus.

Researchers set out to unravel the mystery of this flavor rush certain wines, like Sauvignon Blanc, give off several seconds after the initial sip.

Results from a recent study in the UK suggest that light drinking while pregnant does not cause any harm to the unborn baby.

Doctor Yvonne Kelly, from University College London, carried out the study (which involved 12,495 children and is available online from the International Journal of Epidemiology).

And now, a new study claims excessive drinking accelerates the shrink-down.

Experts urge that even moderate drinking offers NO protective effects.

Even if your social life doesn't revolve around bars and clubs, don't assume it'll be easy for you to drink less: that post-work glass of wine, or the beers on a lazy Sunday afternoon, can be just as hard to give up. But if your weight loss has slowed recently, cutting down on the booze could be just what you need...

Drunkorexia is a new slang term that describes the practice of restricting food intake in order to drink more alcohol.

You won't find this one in the DSM-IV manual for diagnosing health disorders. The Morning Show ran a piece on it that looked exclusively at how this practice affects women.

Statistics suggest that 30% of 18-24 year olds skip food in order to drink more.

Alcohol consumption and fat loss has long been a controversial subject.

First, the BBC dismissed the "beer belly". Now, new research contradicts this: liquor consumption in men is associated with a larger waist circumference.

The majority of Americans drink alcoholic beverages - but many may give up this habit when on a diet, due to the excess calories. One enterprising individual appears to have seen the gap in the market and created the Beer Drinker's Diet.