First the good news. You can fill a room with studies showing the health benefits of moderate amounts of alcohol. (The bad news is- at least for many people prone to carb and sugar addiction- the word “moderate” seems to be in a foreign language). In the studies, moderate seems to translate to one or two glasses of red wine (although all the studies showing the benefits were done on men- there are actually some nasty correlations between alcohol use and breast cancer in women, but that’s another story).
Moderate consumption of red wine has been associated with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease.The reason for the health benefit seems to reside in a miracle compound called resveratrol. Resveratrol is a kind of super antioxidant, and many nutritionists- me included- believe it is one of the most powerful anti-aging supplements you can take. Among its other sterling qualities, it reduces platelet aggregation, making the blood less sticky. It’s also anti-inflammatory. And it inhibits the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, making it less likely to form plaque and cause problems. In some test tube studies, it even seems to inhibit tumors. And, due to its function as a phytoestrogen, it may play a role in the inhibition of human breast cancer cells, although way more research is needed before we can say that with certainty.
So wine in 4oz to 8oz a day is fine but beer and spirits will shut down the bodys ability to burn fat due to the way it effects insulin. Also there have been studies that it effects test levels by lowering them and causing estrogen problems. I dont know about you but that is what I am looking to avoid.
