Exploding the Myth

Exploding the Myth

1990 1 January 18-19 Exploding the Myth (466) Wine was originally prohibited in Islam because of its bad effects on a man’s spiritual health. Physical health was not at issue. But now recent research has also exploded the myth that a small quantity of wine has no bad effects on a man’s physical health. “Moderate drinkers” writes Christine Doyle, “can no longer comfort themselves with the appealing and growing belief that a few drinks a day may actually be good for them and even lower their risk of heart disease.”

Much publicity has been given recently to investigations, which show that moderate amounts of alcohol might give protection against heart disease. This is by apparently raising the blood level of a substance known as high-density lipoprotein, (HDL) one component of cholesterol – the fatty culprit of clogged arteries.

The high blood level of HDL and consequently lower levels of the harmful components of cholesterol are believed to lead to fewer fatty plaques and thus less risk.

But biochemical research, using new and more sophisticated ways of analysing HDL, shows that this substance itself may be split into three components, and that alcohol leads to high levels of a component that is believed to have minimal or no protective effect, say number of researchers.

This finding is bad news for heavy smokers who also drink and who hope that alcohol may do battle with nicotine leading to a reduction in the high heart risk associated with smoking: a recent British heart study disclosed high HDL levels among smokers who drank regularly.

Further dismal news for hopeful moderate drinkers comes from another study announced recently by the US National Cancer Institute, which suggests that men who drink two cans or more of beer every day triple their chances of rectal cancer. The 14-year study of 8,000 men also suggested that drinking more than 50 ounces of wine – about 12 small wineglasses – a month, or the equivalent in whisky, leads to higher rates of lung cancer. Why this should be so is not known.

The Prophet of Islam, may peace be upon him, laid down that whatever intoxicates in greater quantities is unlawful also in smaller quantities. People used to ask, however, “why is it that wine in small quantities is prohibited in Islam, considering that it has no bad effects on human health?”

Wine, of course, was originally prohibited in Islam because of its bad effects on a man’s spiritual health. Physical health was not at issue. But now recent research has also exploded the myth that a small quantity of wine has no bad effects on a man’s physical health.

“Moderate drinkers” writes Christine Doyle, “can no longer comfort themselves with the appealing and growing belief that a few drinks a day may actually be good for them and even lower their risk of heart disease.”