A new study has claimed that women who enjoy a glass or two every day are increasing their chances of good health in their seventies. Apparently, it doesn’t matter whether their chosen tipple is beer, wine or spirits, but as long as they drink regularly and in moderation whilst they’re in their fifties, they should expect to have higher chances of avoiding heart disease, diabetes and other mental and physical disorders later on in life.

14,000 female nurses were involved in the study, and those who had 1-2 glasses a night, but no more, could expect a 30% better chance of overall good health. The US researchers measured alcohol intake in grams (so a glass of wine is about 10g, and a bottle of beer is about 13g) and found that women who drank between 5-10g  were 20% more likely to experience the health benefits than teetotallers, whilst women who drank 15-30g were 30% more likely.

Experts warned, however, that the study didn’t prove that alcohol is good for the body, but could’ve been down to other variables. Jayne Lucke, of the University of Queensland, Australia, said: “Drinking a small amount of alcohol may not cause a woman to age healthily. Rather, women who regularly drink a small amount may also have a good number of other characteristics, such as good health, an active social life and a healthy appetite, that all work together to promote successful ageing.”

Dr Qi Sun, who led the study, said: “Low to moderate consumption of alcohol will slightly improve health for women in old age. Even at moderate drinking levels, it is highly recommended that you consume alcohol on a regular basis rather than binge-drinking at the weekend. But for lifetime non-drinkers we would not recommend drinking alcohol just to improve health, because studies have shown that regular exercise and healthy body weight are much more associated with better health than alcohol.”

Steph says: Well, that really seems to contradict UK research from last month! You can read the article here.

Written exclusively for The Life Dept | Live Longer | 7 September 2011.

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