Thursday 16 January 2014

I think you've had enough, Mr. Bond

James Bond is likely to be impotent, at high risk of liver disease, and the fact he likes his martini "shaken, not stirred" is because of alcohol-induced tremors.

If you weren't already convinced that a real-life James Bond would be a terrible spy - he tells people his actual name for goodness sake - the article Were James Bond’s drinks shaken because of alcohol induced tremor? outlines the likely health issues Britain's most famous fictional spy would be suffering in real life due to his outrageous alcoholism.

The researchers read all 14 James Bond books and noted down each time he had a drink, and how much. They also noted when he was unable to drink - for instance, when incarcerated. Not including the days when he was unable to drink, they found his weekly alcohol consumption to be 92 units (standard drinks in Australia - 10 ml of pure alcohol), over four times the recommended amount. His maximum daily consumption was 49.8 units. Out of the 87.5 days he was able to drink, he only had 12.5 alcohol free days.

This type of behaviour is not consistent with his Lothario character, given that his sexual function is likely to be severely impaired by his drinking. It's also not particularly consistent with his ability to shoot straight outside of the bedroom, where sobriety is a necessity to defeat the bad guys. On the other hand, drinking is likely to have decreased his risk aversion, and previous studies have shown that drinking encourages unsafe sex.

But before you become too crushed by the fact that a fictional hero might not actually be scientifically sound, perhaps Bond is smarter than the authors of this report suspect. A 1999 report Shaken, not stirred: bioanalytical study of the antioxidant activities of martinis found that shaken martinis have superior antioxidant activity and this could have decreased his risk of cataracts and cardiovascular disease. There is hope. I don't feel as bad as I did when I discovered that Santa Claus is a fat, diabetic drunk.

Here's Bond in drinking action in Casino Royale.



And here's a handy infographic:



References:  
Graham Johnson, Indra Neil Guha & Patrick Davies (2013). Were James Bond’s drinks shaken because of alcohol induced tremor? BMJ DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f7255  

Trevithick CC, Chartrand MM, Wahlman J, Rahman F, Hirst M, & Trevithick JR (1999). Shaken, not stirred: bioanalytical study of the antioxidant activities of martinis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 319 (7225), 1600-2 PMID: 10600955

15 comments:

  1. The real disease is modern societies desire to constantly defame and tear down people's heroes, fictional or not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are very real reasons why we shouldn't be glorifying alcoholism.

      Delete
  2. " ... shaken, not stirred." (then quietly, under his hand) "Yo, just make it a water, I'm on the clock, brah."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Found your post interesting to read. I cant wait to see your post soon. Good Luck for the upcoming update.This article is really very interesting and effective. Alcohol shots

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very well written article. It was an awesome article to read. Complete rich content and fully informative. I totally Loved it.Tips On How To Stop Drinking Alcohol

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am very thankful to you because the post you've got shared here is amazing. Through this post I got some helpful knowledge. Thanks for posting it. Keep posting. Drug treatment in Santa Clarita, CA

    ReplyDelete
  6. It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I’m glad that you just shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing. 온라인카지노

    ReplyDelete
  7. 바카라사이트 As I web-site possessor I believe the content matter here is
    rattling fantastic , appreciate it for your
    hard work. You should keep it up forever! Best of luck.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is really attention-grabbing, You’re an overly
    skilled blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and stay
    up for in the hunt for more of your excellent post.
    Additionally, 토토사이트 I have shared your site in my social networks

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. 토토사이트 Did you create this website yourself
    or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I'm
    looking to create my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from.
    thanks a lot

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful blog with great piece of information. Regards to your effort. Keep sharing more such blogs. Looking forward to learn more from you. 24 Hour Bail Bonds Company

    ReplyDelete
  11. You've provided quite good information here. This is fantastic since it expands our knowledge and is also beneficial to us. Thank you for sharing this piece of writing. Addiction treatment in Fresno, CA

    ReplyDelete
  12. I like the valuable information you posted very much. I will keep my favorites and visit continuously. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's an amazing and helpful source of information. I'm glad you shared this useful info with us. Handyman

    ReplyDelete