People who consume alcohol in moderation are healthier, yet the relationship between alcoholic beverage preference and health benefit or risk has not been extensively investigated. In a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Barefoot et. al. surveyed alcoholic beverage preference in a large and homogeneous group of highly educated upper-income Americans and found that beverage choice has implications beyond the relative physiological benefits of alcohol. Wine drinking has consistently been associated with reductions in cardiovascular risk due to the presence of polyphenols in wine, but in the current study wine drinking was additionally correlated with healthier overall dietary and lifestyle choices. Conversely, the authors suggest that concurrent diet and lifestyle patterns may explain the higher rates of morbidity and mortality among nondrinkers.
The 2,864 men and 1,571 women participants, averaging 48 years old, were part of the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study, a long-term investigation of cardiovascular risk with a special emphasis on psychosocial variables. The study population was unique in that the subjects had a wide variety of alcoholic beverage preference (beer, wine, spirits, or no preference); and they were 99% Caucasian, affluent, highly educated, and from the same geographic region.

Health and lifestyle differences were greatest between participants who preferred wine and those who preferred other alcoholic beverages or were abstainers. Women reported healthier dietary habits than men, regardless of alcoholic beverage choice. Men and women who preferred wine consistently consumed less saturated fat and cholesterol, smoked less, and exercised more than those who preferred beer, spirits, or had no preference. Abstainers, who made up 20% of the subjects, have been shown in previous studies to have higher disease and death rates than moderate drinkers. Negative health and lifestyle factors among the abstaining subjects, including lower intake of fruits and vegetables and higher rates of smoking and red meat consumption, may explain why non-drinkers have poorer health than drinkers.

An implication of the study is that the benefits of wine drinking may not be merely physiological; preferring wine as an alcoholic beverage may be part of an overall pattern that leads to better health. The authors suggest that future research might focus on dietary and lifestyle differences between those who drink and those who abstain, as well as on the relative health advantages of alcoholic beverage choices.

*pours another glass* :drunk:

well haven't been drinking in a while. i guess i better start right know. so i could become healthy.

who else in this forum drinks on a regular basis? c'mon, i know there are enough of you. I dont mean like alcoholic, or drunks, but you know, a glass or 2 a day.

I drink wine and beer.... very rarely do I drink mixxed or straight liquor....

I drink maybe 2-3 beers or glasses of wine a day

yeah, your alot like me then, i usually drink 2 glasses of wine a day, except some days when i drink the bottle, but not to often ... I have been trying to avoid beer tho, i used to drink one or 2 of those per day, but switched to wine because its less fattening haha .... and it does not make me feel bloaded

i'm drinking bud light at the moment. got my self a six pack. anyone else drinking tonight?

i must warn you though. drinking can make shy become very emotional.....

I will be in a few mins ... and ya, it makes me emotional to bah

Ok, c'mon ppl, where are the rest of ya??

You cannot tell me that Dy, Shy and myself are the only drinkers around here. Show yourselves!

and arsinkie

hahaha i spelled arsinikie

arsinik...


he drinks to.

I used to.... try not to anymore I get drunk too easily

I need the carbs... lol.... since my car accident when I was 18 my metabolism went through the roof..... I can sit on my ass all day every day and eat all I want and never gain a pound...

My wife hates me for that... lol.....

Ya, i hate you for that too, haha ..... I used to be that way, i am still pretty thin, but my metabolism has slowed somewhat. I never used to gain a single pound, now i gain 5, then lose 5 then gain 5 then lose 5 .... I think if i was not careful, i would gain more. Quitting smoking didn't help that too much either.

Not if they have 2-3 bottles a day like Mia. *runs*

That's the problem, who the hell can only have one or two glasses of wine? I only drink every now and then, though the past couple of months there have been regular parties doing the rounds so I have been drinking more than usual. But there's certainly no bloody way I'd stick to two glasses only, as if!

When I am at a party or a club i will drink more.... but during the week at home and after work I will only have a couple glasses of wine or bottles of beer.....

yep, same here, well some nights at home though i do find it hard to stop once i finish my second glass of wine, i always want a third, and then a 4th. Pretty much the only thing that stops me is time, otherwise i would probably want to drink a bottle/night. I have pretty much 2 glasses on avg, maybe one or 2 mights/week i will have more.

2 or 3????

i love wine!! Wine wine wine!!

check out my thread!

I drink 17 glasses a night...most nights

I love it too...but 17 glasses/night?? i doubt that .... how many bottles would that be? hmm

ok, here it is: Six glasses of spirits, and one litre of Red

I really should cut down lol