Take Heart, Here's To The Good News

But wait. Counterintuitive as it may seem, drinking alcohol may not be so bad after all, as long imagined by poets and artists. In the last few years, a number of medical studies have unearthed the salutary effect of alcohol on health. Following this revelation, medical authorities in the US and UK have revised their dietary guidelines. Where a few years ago alcohol was thought as offering no health benefit, now moderate drinking is believed to be associated with a lower risk for coronary heart disease in some individuals.

And the good news is pouring in sips: moderate drinkers live longer, moderate drinkers get fewer colds, moderate drinkers have flatter bellies, and so on. Study after study has shown that regular wine drinking cuts your risk of heart trouble by about 50 per cent. And that moderate drinking could be more salubrious than not drinking at all.

It was the French Paradox that had received wisdom about booze doddering: despite their high-fat diet, the French had an impressively lower rate of heart attacks. Unable to explain this anomaly, the red wine was held up as the good angel behind their mysterious well being. The French are the world's most prolific wine-consumers, with the highest levels of alcohol in their blood.

But is it just wine that does the trick or are beer, rum, whisky equally 'healthful'? "In general," says Mahesh Chandra Garg, a heart physician at Batra Hospital, "all kinds of alcohol tidy up arterial routes by reducing the gooeyness of blood platelets—tiny blood cells that jam arteries by clinging to fatty deposits. And, in good measure, alcohol increases HDL, the —'good' cholesterol. But science has precious little to say whether the alcohol has to be wine."

 Winos believe the secret of wine lies in phenolics, a powerful class of antioxidants that fight cellular damage which might trigger cancer. But for many, this is more cultural dogma than fact A healthy lifestyle is seen as a major factor. Scientists say the best way to imbibe is with food, because food slows down the absorption of alcohol, promoting a lingering effect on the platelets. As it happens, most people who drink that way are drinking wine. But how much should you imbibe to stay healthy? Even here there is confusion. The new guidelines define moderation as two drinks a day for men and one for women. But in the studies, the subjects who showed the most benefits drank anywhere between two drinks a week and five a day.

Supposing all the studies are right, should all people start drinking alcohol as a health-drink? "Not necessarily," says Garg. "The only people who benefit from alcohol are those already at risk of heart disease—chiefly middle-aged and older men, and post-menopausal women. Even if you're at low risk, the risks of starting to drink far outweigh the benefits."

 Furthermore, the guidelines cautions some high-risk groups against imbibing—people under 21, people with an alcohol problem in the family, people on various medications, people planning to drive, smokers, and would-be mothers. So the underlying message is that adults who enjoy light or moderate drinking shouldn't hesitate from enjoying it, but drinking solely for reasons of health would be sheer stupidity.