It’s not as if most of us need a good reason to drink, but a new study says that it’s healthy to drink as long as you exercise as well. So, what are some good reasons to take a swig of the brew or a sip of wine?
• Wine could preserve your memory. When researchers gave memory quizzes to women in their 70s, those who drank one drink or more every day scored much better than those who drank less or not at all.
• Studies find that people who drink wine daily have lower body mass than those who indulge occasionally; moderate wine drinkers have narrower waists and less abdominal fat than people who drink liquor. Alcohol may encourage your body to burn extra calories for as long as 90 minutes after you down a glass. Beer seems to have a similar effect.
• Danish researchers say that people who drink up to two drinks per day have a lower risk for heart disease and a lower cancer risk.
But keep in mind that researchers also say if you drink heavily and sit on your ass all day, you’re going to die before everybody else.
Sources: Reuters and www.health.com
This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2008.
