Van Tulleken twins experiment on alcohol, daily versus binge drinking.

[marylander1940]

In Horizon: Is Binge Drinking Really That Bad? (BBC Two), we were promised a discovery “so surprising that it might just change the way in which you enjoy alcohol forever”. I raised a sceptical eyebrow, then a reassuring pint. But this was more than a sop to a subject that tides the tabloids over those quiet news days.

 

Identical twin brothers, doctors and television regulars Chris and Xand van Tulleken (the latter helpfully sporting a natty beard so we could tell them apart) had pledged to spend a month adhering to the lower end of government drinking guidelines, two decades old and currently under review: Chris would have three units a day, every day; Xand would sink 21 in 24 hours.

 

Horizon can court accusations of dumbing down with its wacky diversions: 2014’s The Secret Life of Cats, for example, was an hour of pure frippery: fun, but scarcely worthy of the Horizon stamp. Here, the tone was just right. After all, a documentary about getting drunk can’t avoid a few laughs, and these duly came courtesy of Xand’s behaviour after 21 shots of vodka: “I don’t feel that bad.” Beat. “I feel pretty bad.” It got worse, with impromptu karaoke in the cab home, followed by inexplicable tears in the hallway. He remembered none of it the morning after.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05wdfhk

 

And those smug gits who claim they don’t get hangovers are actually onto something. The twins consulted experts who confirmed that some people are genetically wired to process alcohol in a way that means they skip the morning-after-the-night-before feeling. But, major caveat, the booze still wreaks the same havoc elsewhere on their bodies.

 

The denouement after the month-long experiment was where the biggest surprise came. While Xand’s Saturday night-style binge had more of a damaging effect, the brothers both showed increased systemic inflammation and their livers were on their way to cirrhosis.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/horizon-is-binge-drinking-really-that-bad-tv-review-xand-and-chris-van-tulleken-get-smashed-in-the-name-of-science-10265180.html

[+ honcho]

Oh, man, I hope they didn't do any permanent damage to themselves . . .

[marylander1940]

Oh, man, I hope they didn't do any permanent damage to themselves . . .

 

Don't worry, this isn't their fist round, they've done similar experiments for a month with one of them eating carbs and the other one fatty foods.

 

http://modernlifenutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Sugar-vs-Fat.jpg

 

http://www.vantullekenbrothers.com/vantullekenbrothers.com/Welcome.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoffer_Rudolpho_van_Tulleken

 

http://roarglobal.com/store/images/chris-van-tulleken/_small/ch4twin_doctors037.JPG

 

http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/126/590x/secondary/122700.jpg

[+ sync]

Identical twin brothers, doctors and television regulars Chris and Xand van Tulleken (the latter helpfully sporting a natty beard so we could tell them apart) had pledged to spend a month adhering to the lower end of government drinking guidelines, two decades old and currently under review: Chris would have three units a day, every day; Xand would sink 21 in 24 hours.

 

Don't worry, this isn't their fist round, they've done similar experiments for a month with one of them eating carbs and the other one fatty foods.

 

Medical Doctors?

[rvwnsd]

Medical Doctors?

Yes. They both trained at Oxford. Here's a link to their bios:

 

http://www.vantullekenbrothers.com/vantullekenbrothers.com/Chris_and_Xand_van_Tulleken.html

[marylander1940]

Medical Doctors?

 

Yes, as in Physicians...

 

[anotherjohnindupont]

Oh, man, I hope they didn't do any permanent damage to themselves . . .

 

it's reality TV. A real he could be?

[+ ArVaGuy]

The UK has a serious binge drinking problem especially amongst the young. On a visit last year I was stunned by what I witnessed while visiting with work colleagues. One American expat shared numerous stories of her British friends drinking exploits. British newspapers carry regular stories in graphic photographic details of "holiday-makers" completely wasted during vacations in other countries.

 

I will also cop to being one of those "smug gits" who hardly ever experienced a hangover. Of course I come from a family of alcoholics on both sides. The genetic predisposition was clearly passed in my DNA. Took me while to learn, the hard way, that if I did not stop certain behaviors the future could be one dull haze. So, while not a teetotaler, I seriously cut my alcohol consumption back over a decade ago. Two drinks maximum in most social settings. No beer or wine in the house either. I will readily volunteer to be the designated driver when out with some of my friends.

[marylander1940]

The UK has a serious binge drinking problem especially amongst the young. On a visit last year I was stunned by what I witnessed while visiting with work colleagues. One American expat shared numerous stories of her British friends drinking exploits. British newspapers carry regular stories in graphic photographic details of "holiday-makers" completely wasted during vacations in other countries.

 

I will also cop to being one of those "smug gits" who hardly ever experienced a hangover. Of course I come from a family of alcoholics on both sides. The genetic predisposition was clearly passed in my DNA. Took me while to learn, the hard way, that if I did not stop certain behaviors the future could be one dull haze. So, while not a teetotaler, I seriously cut my alcohol consumption back over a decade ago. Two drinks maximum in most social settings. No beer or wine in the house either. I will readily volunteer to be the designated driver when out with some of my friends.

 

The have such a good marketing, Americans are shocked when we travel there and see real English person in their own country... Many of them are just trashy.

 

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1rXcSSfozU4/maxresdefault.jpg