Dr. Kenneth Mukamal

I wish I knew the answer to that, but it's funny that if you look back at what the concerns have been over the last 30, 40 years in this, it's all about how the alcohol industry must be secretly working with doctors to try to show that a little bit of drinking is good for you. And so the concern about conflict of interest has always come from that side.

I wish I knew the answer to that, but it's funny that if you look back at what the concerns have been over the last 30, 40 years in this, it's all about how the alcohol industry must be secretly working with doctors to try to show that a little bit of drinking is good for you. And so the concern about conflict of interest has always come from that side.

Well, our research has never been funded by industry, not a single penny of it. And yet we've consistently shown, again, things like lower risk of diabetes and lower risk of heart disease associated with limited drinking.

Well, our research has never been funded by industry, not a single penny of it. And yet we've consistently shown, again, things like lower risk of diabetes and lower risk of heart disease associated with limited drinking.

Well, our research has never been funded by industry, not a single penny of it. And yet we've consistently shown, again, things like lower risk of diabetes and lower risk of heart disease associated with limited drinking.

So I think part of it has been that physicians and researchers have been so primed to look for conflicts of interest from industry that they just totally miss the fact that there's a whole bunch of other kinds of conflict of interest. religious conflicts of interest, there's personal conflicts of interest. And, you know, in this case, you've got temperance societies taking advantage of it.

So I think part of it has been that physicians and researchers have been so primed to look for conflicts of interest from industry that they just totally miss the fact that there's a whole bunch of other kinds of conflict of interest. religious conflicts of interest, there's personal conflicts of interest. And, you know, in this case, you've got temperance societies taking advantage of it.

So I think part of it has been that physicians and researchers have been so primed to look for conflicts of interest from industry that they just totally miss the fact that there's a whole bunch of other kinds of conflict of interest. religious conflicts of interest, there's personal conflicts of interest. And, you know, in this case, you've got temperance societies taking advantage of it.

You know, it's a great question. There are folks in the medical community, I think, trying to bring in this idea that at least some of the benefits of alcohol relate to social lubrication, right? This idea that that's, you know, we have an epidemic of loneliness in America. It's okay to... to acknowledge that at least part of social behavior in humans is related to alcohol.

You know, it's a great question. There are folks in the medical community, I think, trying to bring in this idea that at least some of the benefits of alcohol relate to social lubrication, right? This idea that that's, you know, we have an epidemic of loneliness in America. It's okay to... to acknowledge that at least part of social behavior in humans is related to alcohol.

You know, it's a great question. There are folks in the medical community, I think, trying to bring in this idea that at least some of the benefits of alcohol relate to social lubrication, right? This idea that that's, you know, we have an epidemic of loneliness in America. It's okay to... to acknowledge that at least part of social behavior in humans is related to alcohol.

And at least from a health standpoint, we know that the healthiest way to drink is that kind of Mediterranean style, right? Sit down over a meal, have some wine, and enjoy company of people together. We know that the Mediterranean lifestyle helps people live the longest.

And at least from a health standpoint, we know that the healthiest way to drink is that kind of Mediterranean style, right? Sit down over a meal, have some wine, and enjoy company of people together. We know that the Mediterranean lifestyle helps people live the longest.

And at least from a health standpoint, we know that the healthiest way to drink is that kind of Mediterranean style, right? Sit down over a meal, have some wine, and enjoy company of people together. We know that the Mediterranean lifestyle helps people live the longest.

Somehow we've managed to take some of the dietary pieces of that Mediterranean lifestyle and strip away all the other things, including the wine and including the social piece. I hope we'll get it back.

Somehow we've managed to take some of the dietary pieces of that Mediterranean lifestyle and strip away all the other things, including the wine and including the social piece. I hope we'll get it back.

Somehow we've managed to take some of the dietary pieces of that Mediterranean lifestyle and strip away all the other things, including the wine and including the social piece. I hope we'll get it back.

So hopefully the National Academy report that came out in January will help stimulate some of this discussion or at a minimum, I think, maybe try to reverse some of the trend we've seen toward just all alcohol is not just bad, but it's going to kill you tomorrow.

So hopefully the National Academy report that came out in January will help stimulate some of this discussion or at a minimum, I think, maybe try to reverse some of the trend we've seen toward just all alcohol is not just bad, but it's going to kill you tomorrow.

So hopefully the National Academy report that came out in January will help stimulate some of this discussion or at a minimum, I think, maybe try to reverse some of the trend we've seen toward just all alcohol is not just bad, but it's going to kill you tomorrow.