>> MARIA: NOW THIS QUESTION, IS
A GLASS OF WINE THE TICKET TO A
LONG LIFE?
A NEW STUDY CLAIMS THAT DRINKING
ALCOHOL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EXERCISE IF YOU LIVE PAST 90
YEARS OLD.
RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT THOSE WHO
DRANK TWO OR MORE GLASSES OF
BEER OR WINE A DAY CUT THEIR
CHANCES OF A PREMATURE DEATH BY
18%, A WIDER MARGIN THAN THOSE
WHO EXERCISE.
JOINING US NOW IS DR. MIKE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
YOUR TAKE ON THIS SURVEY?
>> I FEEL IT ALREADY.
ALL THE WINE DRINKERS ACROSS THE
WORLD ARE CELEBRATING.
BUT, AND I HATE TO BE THE BEARER
OF BAD NEWS, I LIKE TO BRING
EVERYONE BACK TO EARTH.
HERE'S WHY.
THIS TYPE OF STUDY ASKED A GROUP
OF 90-YEAR-OLDS, 90 PLUS, 1700
OF THEM, AND ASKED THEM THEIR
DRINKING HABITS AND FOLLOWED
THEM OVER SIX MONTHS, CHECKING
IN AND ASKING ABOUT THEIR
DRINKING HABITS.
HOW WELL DO YOU REMEMBER HOW
MANY DRINKS YOU HAD LAST WEEK,
LET ALONE THREE DECADES AGO.
THESE TYPES OF STUDIES WHICH
LOOK AT THE PAST AND TRY TO TIE
LIFESTYLE HABIT TO LONG LIFE
AREN'T ALWAYS PERFECT.
WE DON'T REMEMBER THINGS WELL.
NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, THIS IS A STUDY
LOOKING AT CORRELATION, NOT
CAUSATION.
MEANING THAT IF YOU LOOK AT
PEOPLE WHO DRINK ALCOHOL, THEY
GENERALLY LIVE LONGER.
YES.
BUT DOES THAT MAYBE MEAN PEOPLE
WHO ARE HEALTHIER WERE THE ONES
DRINKS, NOT
DRINKI, NOT
DRINKINGNOT
DRINKING NT
DRINKING NOT THE OTHER WAY
AROUND, TOTALLY COULD BE.
>> MARIA: YOU SAID PEOPLE WHO
DRINK LIVE A LONGER LIFE.
>> YOU SEE TWO PATTERNS OCCUR.
>> THEY'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME.
>> IF YOU HAVE A SERIOUS
DIAGNOSIS IN YOUR HEALTH, YOU
HAVE DIABETES, YOU HAVE CANCER,
WHATEVER IT MAY BE THAT IS GOING
TO CAUSE PREMATURE DEATH, YOU'RE
LIKELY GOING TO STOP DRINKING
BECAUSE DRINKING IS ASSOCIATED
WITH HEALTH.
YOU FEEL GOOD WHEN YOU'RE
DRINKING.
MAYBE THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE
DRINKING A LOT WERE DRINKING
BECAUSE THEY WERE HEALTHY, NOT
THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
NOT THAT THE ALCOHOL WAS GIVING
THEM HEALTH.
SO I DON'T LIKE TO GET TOO
EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
HERE'S MY TAKE-AWAY ON THIS.
I THINK IT'S A SIMPLE TAKE-AWAY.
HAVE A PATIENT THAT COMES IN,
DRINKING IN MODERATION, GREAT,
CONTINUE DRINKING, IT WILL
PROBABLY DO NO HARM AND COULD
MAYBE DO SOMETHING BENEFICIAL.
I WILL NOT MAKE A UNIVERSAL
RECOMMENDATION TO START DRINKING
TO MY PATIENTS.
>> MARIA: IF YOU DRINK A LOT,
YOU MAY NOT GET TO 90.
>> EXACTLY.
THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF RIGHT NOW
IN MEDIA TALKING ABOUT HOW
WOMEN, IF THEY DRINK MORE THAN
ONE GLASS OF WINE PER DAY, PER
WEEK, THEY ACTUALLY INCREASE
THEIR RISK OF HAVING BREAST
CANCER BY 5 TO 10%.
IT'S DOSE DEPENDENT, IF THEY
HAVE TWO DRINKS A NIGHT, IT WILL
BE HIGHER.
THE STUDY DIDN'T TAKE INTO
ACCOUNT MALE VERSUS FEMALE AND
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS.
MEN AND WOMEN PROCESS ALCOHOL
DIFFERENTLY.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE
EXERCISE HABITS.
>> DAGEN: MIGRATE
>> DAGEN: MYGRATE
>> DAGEN: MY RATE
>> DAGEN: MY ATE
>> DAGEN: MY GE
>> DAGEN: MY GREAT AUNT HAD A
DRINK EVERY DAY.
AS SHE SUFFERED FROM DEMENTIA,
ONE DAY MY GRANDMOTHER COMES
HOME AND FINDS HER SISTER ON THE
PHONE.
SHE SAYS OH, MY GOD, SHE'S DEAD.
MY FATHER COMES TO THE HOUSE,
TURNS HER OVER.
SHE WASN'T DEAD.
SHE HAD SEVERAL BAUER DONS.
SHE HAD SEVERAL BAUER DRIS.
SHE HAD SEVERAL BAUER DRINKS.
SHOE
SHEE
SHE WASOUT LIKE A FRAT BOY.
>> MARIA: WHERE IS SHE NOW?
>> DAGEN: SHE PASSED AWAY
SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
SHE WAS DEEP IN HER 90s WHEN
SHE PASSED AWAY.
>> IF YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE PAST
90, IF YOU LIVE A HEALTHY
LIFESTYLE, WHICH INCLUDES
EXERCISING.
>> TO THE LIQUOR STORE.
>> I LIKE THAT.
>> MARIA: TAKE A JOG DOWN THERE.
>> THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
DID A GOOD JOB LOOKING INTO
THIS, SO WE CAN DO FURTHER
RESEARCH.
THE EXERCISE COMPONENT THEY
LOOKED AT WAS 15 TO 45 MINUTES
OF EXERCISE A DAY.
IF YOU EXERCISE 15 MINUTES A
DAY, I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHERE
THE HEALTH BENEFIT LIES.
WE RECOMMEND 150 MINUTES PER
WEEK.
SAYING SOMEONE EXERCISED FOR 15
MINUTES A DAY ISN'T REALLY
EXERCISE.
>> MARIA: YOU SAY THE BEST THING
TO DO IS 150 MINUTES A WEEK.
>> TO SAY SOMEONE EXERCISED FOR
15 MINUTES A DAY COUNTS AS
SOMEONE WHO EXERCISES, I DON'T
THINK SO.
>> MARIA: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
FLU FOR A MOMENT.
THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL FLU SEASONS.
IF YOU HAVE IT, HOW LONG ARE YOU
CONTAGIOUS?
>> YOU'RE ACTUALLY CONTAGIOUS
ONE DAY PRIOR TO SHOWING
SYMPTOMS BECAUSE WHAT ARE
SYMPTOMS?
THE SYMPTOMS ARE THE RESULT OF
YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM FIGHTING THE
VIRUS.
SO WHAT HAPPENS?
YOU GET INFLAMMATION.
YOU GET COUGHING AND A FEVER
MANY THOSE ARE SIGNS THE IMMUNE
SYSTEM IS WORKING.
THE VIRUS SET IN ONE DAY PRIOR.
YOU'RE CONTAGIOUS UP TO SEVEN
DAYS INTO HAVING THE FLU.
I RECOMMEND TO STAY HOME IF YOU
HAVE THE FLU FOR AT LEAST SEVEN
DAYS SO YOU DON'T GET EVERYONE
ELSE SICK.
THE FLU SEASON WILL PROBABLY
CONTINUE INTO MAY.
>> MARIA: SOME PEOPLE DON'T KNOW
IF IT'S THE FLU OR A COLD.
THAT'S ONE ISSUE.
>> THE BIG ISSUE WITH FLU AND
COLD, THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
FLU AND COLD IS THE FLU IS MUCH
MORE SEVERE THAN THE COLD.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE WORSE BODY
ACHES, HIGHER FEVER.