Here's To Your Health!

Happy New Year!  It's a time of new beginnings and fresh starts.  For some of us it's New Year's Resolutions once again.  Whether or not we actually make a resolution, we do think about making changes in our lives to improve upon something.  Maybe it's losing weight, volunteering more, getting more sleep, etc.......  I've chosen to be healthier!  Since I enjoy a good bottle of wine I thought I would see what scientists and doctors have to say about wine and my health.

DISCLAIMER:  I AM NOT A MEDICAL EXPERT!

Now for some good news about drinking wine in moderation (defined by the American Heart Association as one to two four-ounce glasses a day). Wine does have health benefits!

Food & Wine magazine had a great article by Christine Quinlan on the benefits of drinking wine.  Below is some of her article:

The Benefit: Promotes Longevity
The Evidence: Wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Source: a Finnish study of 2,468 men over a 29-year period, published in the Journals of Gerontology, 2007.

The Benefit: Reduces Heart-Attack Risk
The Evidence: Moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers. Source: a 16-year Harvard School of Public Health study of 11,711 men, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
The Evidence: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines. Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006.

The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
The Evidence: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes. Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam's VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke
The Evidence: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts
The Evidence: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer. Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer
The Evidence: Moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent. Source: a Stony Brook University study of 2,291 individuals over a four-year period, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005.

The Benefit: Slows Brain Decline
The Evidence: Brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers. Source: a Columbia University study of 1,416 people, published in Neuroepidemiology, 2006.

Now as you can see the word "moderate" is repeated often because heavy drinking can harm the heart and liver.  So please heed the warnings! You may think I am just trying to justify enjoying a glass or two several times a week, but I mostly enjoy sharing a good bottle with my wino buddies!

Cheers!
Lisa