http://www.care2.com/greenliving/is-wine-good-for-you.html
Is Wine Good For You?
Q: Are we supposed to drink wine or not? Some studies say drink a glass of red wine every day, some studies say drinking any alcohol causes cancer. It is confusing!
A: You are so right. There are lots of studies suggesting the benefits of red wine and alcohol. What is important to keep in mind is that most of these studies are population based meaning that the real cause and effect is not definitely known. By the same standards, we have evidence of the dangers of alcohol, too.
We do know that antioxidants seem to play a role in keeping our bodies healthier, but there are plenty of ways to get antioxidants without drinking.
I, myself, am not a teetotaler. If you consume alcohol, keep your consumption to one drink a night if you are female and no more than two per night if you are male. If you are not currently a drinker, I would not recommend that you start consuming alcohol just because of the reported health benefits.
Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.
Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.
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30 comments
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Kabin
Konteyner
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Talking about wines....What are sulphites? Why do they add it to wines? Have they always added sulphites to wine but never mentioned it on the bottles? Lastly....can sulphites affect one's health?
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There are lots of key aspects here. Amongst other things what you have to consider is race, gender, age and the type of alcohol. Drinking 1 drink regularly is less harmful than a full blown out binge over a party weekend. Certain races have better enzymes to digest certain types of alcohol and the same goes for difference in gender. Up to the age of 18 to 25 your brain is still developing and alcohol is detrimental to the development of braincells.
This is at least what I have found in my personal research. But that is just science.
In my personal capacity I do not drink at all, and I do not think it is wrong or right either way (except if you are pregnant or if it is illegal for you to do so i.e. if you are underage or driving). As long as alcohol is not used in excess (like most other things) and more importantly, as long as alcohol is not used as a coping mechanism of sorts as this will be detrimental to your mental and spiritual health, but once again this is a point of importance with all items that are abused in the world.
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4 drinks a day is binge drinking for women, 5 drinks a day is binge drinking for men! well thats what they teach us at the nova scotia liquor co-operation. i think that the author was trying to get something like that across too!
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You mention no more than 2 drinks for female and no more than 2 for men, but you stop there and do not provide reason for your numbers. It would help to understand when you say this that it can be backed by providing some evidence that yes the grape provides the antioxidant, and the ETOH provides the mild relaxant but too much wine equals too many calories or calories per glass per day x's 365 days can equate to x amount of excess weight which ultimately reverses the positive aspect of wine and could lead to diabetes and obesity. This might help, especially when a statement is made without what the possibilities would be in terms of either positive or negative effects. This helps. Thanks,
Ernie
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There are some interesting articles about the positive affect of both wine and marijuana on Alzheimer's. I am beginning to wonder what is left uncorrupted by Chinese short-cuts.
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Don,t get me wrong I love red wine and often have too much. However, if you are prone to depression as I am then less is better. Alcohol hurts depressives.
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If you are concerned about your health, try Shaklee`s new anti-aging tonic which contains resveratrol and is made from grapes. It slows down the aging process and gives you more energy. It makes you feel 25 years younger.
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You're a real kill-joy Doc. Tens of millions of people throughout the world enjoy a glass or two of wine every day with no ill effects.
When I was working, after a stressful day I found it helped me relax and enjoy the evening more.
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I drink a bit of red wine and don't worry about it, but I'm slowing down on my supplements because the components are often imported from China, where they could substitute melamine powder for the nutrients. The import inspections are so lax as to be laughable. Thank you Shrub! The melamine can kill your kidneys. A word to the wise...
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