Hey middle-aged women-Have that second drink!
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Conventional wisdom (along with the American Heart Association) has long held that men can soak up the health benefits of alcohol by way of two drinks per day—while women have been told to not have more than one. Parity at last: Women who have a drink or two a day in midlife have better overall health in old age, finds a new study presented yesterday at the AHA’s annual meeting.
A Harvard researcher reviewed 14,000 women who had made it to age 70, 1,499 of whom had no major diseases or physical impairments. He reviewed the amount these women drank around age 58, and discovered that those who had one to two drinks most days saw a 28% increase in their chance of “successfully surviving” to at least 70, compared with non-drinkers. The Wall Street Journal notes that the following qualify as one drink: a 12-ounce beer, an ounce of liquor, or five ounces of wine, “which is often less than the typical serving in a wine goblet.”
greenlight
November 22, 2010 at 3:41 am
I wonder how much of this finding is attributable to the physical effects of alcohol, and how much might have to do with the general attitude toward life held by these women–i.e. those who entirely abstain from drinking may be too busy to take the time to “slow down” for a drink, thus having lives characterized by greater stress, whereas those who have one or two drinks may be more likely to have struck a happier balance in their lives. Just a thought.
A Michael J. Scott
November 22, 2010 at 10:01 am
..and it’s a very careful thought indeed!!
Holte Ender
November 22, 2010 at 10:00 am
I’m trying to think of the women I know who settle for just one drink. No, don’t know any.
Teeluck
November 22, 2010 at 11:01 am
I don’t trust them…these “Women”…they just want to finish the booze if ya ask me!! Probably one of “Them” came up with this study!! I don’t like it one bit…LOL
SagaciousHillbilly
November 23, 2010 at 11:18 am
Once a woman has the second drink, it’s a lot easier to get her to have the third and forth. By then they’re fairly well oiled up and you know what that means. . . let the fun begin!
Drink up ladies. I promise I’ll still respect you in the morning.