Cheers to you, ladies! New research suggest that women who drink daily in moderation have a better chance of warding off health issues related to aging, including heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline.
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health found that women who indulged in a drink-a-day enjoyed better health later in life than did those who abstained from consuming alcohol. The findings of the research were recently published in the journal PLoS Medicine.
According to lead study author and nutrition researcher Qi Sun, drinking in moderation can provide such health benefits as reduced inflammation, strengthened resistance to insulin, and healthier cholesterol levels, all of which promote chronic diseases. However, he pointed out that daily imbibing is not a cure for all ills, and that getting a sufficient amount of exercise is crucial to maintaining overall health.
Soure: HeathNews
Sun said, “If you are physically active, if you have a healthy body weight at midlife, you can have much better odds of achieving successful aging.” He then added, “You don't have to use moderate alcohol consumption as a way to help achieve healthy aging.”
For their analysis, the researchers began following nearly 14,000 women in 1976, all of whom had enrolled in the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study at an average age of 58. Over the long-term study, findings revealed that women who consumed a drink-a-day maintained overall better health by the age of 70 than did those who were teetotalers.
Drinking in moderation is the key to long-term benefits. The study results showed that women who drank small amounts of alcohol during the course of five to seven days (three to fifteen drinks weekly), cut their chances of developing a disease by up to 50 percent, while those who drank larger amounts a couple of days each week did not fare nearly as well, as they apparently gained no health benefits at all.
Although the study results are positive revelation for drinking in moderation, the findings for drinking in excess come as no surprise, since it has long been known that heavy drinking increases the risk for such serious illnesses as liver disease and cancer, in addition to raising the risk for depression, social problems, and vehicle accidents.
It must be noted that the scope of the study was limited by the fact that the study participants were mainly white women. Therefore, more research is required to determine if the healthy effects of moderate alcohol consumption apply to all women in general.
In addition, the findings have no application to men—sorry guys! However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines have long held that having up to one drink a day for women and two a day for men may provide health benefits.
The bottom line is to eat right, burn calories to stay light, and if you are so inclined, strengthen your fight for longevity by rewarding yourself with a daily cocktail of your choice.
Whether you sip a hot toddy or imbibe a glass of wine, you’ll find yourself feeling just fine. In fact, choosing a glass of red wine is all the better for you, as previous research has shown that it is not only heart healthy, but can also extend calorie burn for up to 90 minutes. Now we’ll definitely drink to that!
