6 - Friday, December 23, 1988 - North Shore News INSIGHTS That age-old toast passes its medical JUST EN TIME FOR MERRY CHRISTMAS comes more happy news for party types from two U.S. heart specialists — only please don’t get behind the wheel while you’re lapping up their findings. Dr. Meir Stampfer of Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital brings the best of the glad tidings. Choosing familiar guinea-pigs for his research, he launched a study in 1976 of the effect of alcohol on 121,700 female nurses. Most, though not all, of the drinkers didn’t exceed the equivaient of two and a half glasses of wine daily. To date; the results show that — compared to non-drinkers — the drinkers had only haif the chance of developing coronary heart disease, regardless of whether their tipple was wine, beer or liquor. Moreover, (good grief!), the researchers found those LEAST at risk were the heaviest drinkers. Meanwhile, an eight-week ex- periment with 56 males by a Dr. Richard Moore, assistant professor of medicine at John Hopkins Uni- versity, gives clues to the reason, Half of the $5 drank 12 oz. of beer a day, the other no alcohol. The former had a significant rise in their apolipoprotein levels — that's the stuff which apparently cleanses the arteries of excess cholesterol — while levels fell in those on the wagon. These happy endorsations are not the first. In recent years several other similar studies have found that moderate drinkers live longer than teetotallers and ‘‘heavies’’ — though even an overdose of apolipoprotein didn’t seem to do any harm to a few of Dr. Stamp- fer’s thirstier nurses. That age-old toast ‘‘to your very good health’’ has obviously passed its own medical with a clean bill! all too often be lost in the jarring crash of alcohol-related accidents. It is easy to forget, in the social warmth of Christmas celebrations, the deadly consequences of drinking and driving. A glass of cheer here, a hearty toast there quickly add up tc outlooks impaired with seasonal good spirits and aicohol. But accidents are most likely to occur when defen- sive guards are lowest. The message of drinking and driving’s disastrous Celebrate safely Ta JUBILANT hum of festive celebration can PULLING IN the money — this time fifty grand — is a specialty of West Van’s Barbara Brink. She's president of Science World on the Expo site, where construction is forging ahead for the reopening of the former Expo Centre next May as a world-class science centre. Even in limited form it rana highly successful four-month preview last summer, drawing over 365,000 visitors. The project calls for Barbara and colleagues to raise $5.3 million from the private sector. The latest cheque was a one-third instalment of the total funding commitment by Chevron Canada, whose Joyce Haylete — withou! whom it might never have happened — presented it at a recent ‘Shard hat’? lunch. A while back Joyce had hosted her boss, Chevron president Jerry Franciscovich, at a meeting of the Professional Secretaries Associa- tion, to which Barbara had been invited to make a Science World decided Chevron should jump in deep to support it — $150,000 - deep. ‘Joyce turned out to be the presentation. Boss man came away enthusiastic about the project and photo Robert Kwong THE SPIRIT OF '86 ...Science World president Barbara Brink (right) receives a $50,000 Chevron Canada cheque from Joyce Haylett — just one instalment of her company’s six-figure contribution to the transforma- tion by next May of the former Expo Centre into a world-class science centre. results is repeatedly delivered by police and all ihose who must regularly clean up the mess, and though that message is beginning to filter into the public’s general consciousness, its repetition is vital to its remaining there. An estimated 40,000 vehicles have been checked in Vancouver roadblocks. Twelve impaired charges have been laid in those roadblocks and 21 additional charges have been laid in spot checks. North Vancouver RCMP have checked 2,500 vehicles and laid seven im- paired driving charges and issued five road-side suspensions. Obviously, a percentage of the public is still not convinced that drinking and driving is wrong or that they wili be caught. Vigilance then, from both police and the driving public, is vital along with stiffer penalties for those who continue to ignore the message and the social and physical costs of drinking and driving. The holiday season is a celebration of family ties and religious beliefs; it is up to everyone to ensure it is not a commemoration of bad judgment and tragic conse- quences.