Commentary on Kerr et al. (2013): The ‘French Paradox’ versus binge drinking

McCarthyism, conflict of interest andAddiction's new transparency declaration procedures

“…Another recent case involved two authors and their associations with alcohol industry bodies . A check of the organizations with which the authors were involved revealed a convoluted set of financial connections among the International Scientific Forum for Alcohol Research (ISFAR), a ‘joint venture’ between Boston University's Institute on Lifestyle and Health and Alcohol in Moderation (AIM) and the alcohol industry.…”

Professor Serge C. Renaud (1927-2012): French Paradox and wine active compounds

“…Renaud then developed his hypothesis that the habit of drinking moderate amounts of wine with meals could be beneficial to health, continuing to study this concept both in animals, in particular on the positive role of alcohol on blood platelets and especially wine in the prevention of the platelet rebound effect, 6 and in humans.7 His hypothesis is backed up by numerous observational studies of the last twenty years. It is now quite well admitted that moderate regular intake of alcohol, particularly wine, appears to be associated with healthiest outcomes, 8,9, whereas binge drinking is associated with higher cardio-vascular risk, 10,11 twofold higher mortality among patients who survive acute myocardial infarction even among light drinkers, 12 and higher risk of obesity: for example, in 8236 men and women, obesity of binge vs no binge drinking had a relative risk of 1.77 (confidence interval=1.18-2.65). 13 Prof. Renaud contributed to the consciousness of a French food model related to cardio-vascular protection.…”