28/365 Everything in Moderation: Alcohol

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Many studies have shown that a glass (4.5 oz) of red wine a day is good for your health. Harvard researchers argued that 3 glasses of wine a day increases HDLs (good cholesterol) which are good for clearing out plaque in your arteries, a very good thing. I'd like to think that these studies are correct. One 5 year study in France concluded that "people who drank two to five glasses of wine a day had up to 31% less risk of death from any cause than nondrinkers." That's a pretty outstanding statistic that I think probably has more to do with lifestyle than the actual properties of alcohol. To drink a glass of wine a day means that you're probably enjoying your food and the company you are dining with.

I won't go on about all the negative facts about alcohol because I think you, as a healthy person, already know them. The point is that you should enjoy your alcoholic beverages for the sake of the taste, the cozy feeling, and the friends you are with in moderation. Like my professor said, "There's an enzyme in our bodies specially designed for breaking down alcohol. I think alcohol is a good thing."

In health,

Lauren