Wine Spectator writes about a new study conducted by the University of Texas looking into the various reports saying that people who consume alcohol in moderation tend to live a longer life. In fact, the Texas study confirmed that “compared to moderate drinkers, patients who abstained from alcohol had more than double the estimated mortality risk, while heavy drinkers and light drinkers had a 70 percent and a 23 percent higher mortality risk, respectively.”
However, further examination revealed that “a large portion of the subjects who abstain from drinking admitted to prior problems with alcohol and/or poorer health habits. Lifetime moderate drinkers, they found, use alcohol less as a coping agent and more as a social lubricant. They also tend to exercise more often and had lower rates of obesity.”
The Wine Spectator story goes on, “But what of studies that find wine drinkers enjoy an extra benefit, presumably because of antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols found in red wine? The theory that polyphenols provide wine's benefits has led to a growing supplement industry, with shops selling resveratrol and other polyphenols in pill form.”
“A recent Dutch study looked at the chemical components found in grapes and found little to support claims that polyphenols such as resveratrol provide cardiovascular benefits when acting alone.”
However, further examination revealed that “a large portion of the subjects who abstain from drinking admitted to prior problems with alcohol and/or poorer health habits. Lifetime moderate drinkers, they found, use alcohol less as a coping agent and more as a social lubricant. They also tend to exercise more often and had lower rates of obesity.”
The Wine Spectator story goes on, “But what of studies that find wine drinkers enjoy an extra benefit, presumably because of antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols found in red wine? The theory that polyphenols provide wine's benefits has led to a growing supplement industry, with shops selling resveratrol and other polyphenols in pill form.”
“A recent Dutch study looked at the chemical components found in grapes and found little to support claims that polyphenols such as resveratrol provide cardiovascular benefits when acting alone.”
- KC's View:
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In other words, people who drink moderately tend to have a moderation-in-all-things approach to life in general, and people who drink intelligently are more likely to approach other facets of their life intelligently.
I can live with that conclusion.
However...couldn’t you say that about a lot of things? I mean, people who are moderate in their consumption of carbs, or meat, or moderate in the way they exercise, or in how much time they spend working ... aren’t they also more likely to be moderate about other things as well, which would be conducive to a longer, healthier life?
Don’t get me wrong. I love the wine study. I’ll be thinking about it tonight when I open a bottle of something to share with Mrs. Content Guy. But I’m just trying to be logical here.
