waltondammerung

An apple a day? Maybe if it's fermented.

I hereby resolve to drink more in 2005. That's right, drink MORE. And we're not talking cold, refreshing water, here, but the fruit o' the vine. Why? Well, I'd always heard that red wine helps your heart and may allay symptoms of neurological problems, but I now know that drinking alcohol in moderation can help prevent all sorts of other problems. According to today's Wall Street Journal, having a cold one every so often can lower the risk of the following:
Heart attack 37% lower risk in men who drink five to seven days a week
Diabetes 34% lower risk of developing the disease; up to 60% more protection for diabetics at high rish of heart attack
Stroke 40% to 60% lower risk with one to two drinks a day
Dementia 42% lower risk with consumption of one to three drinks daily
Osteoporosis Women who have six or seven drinks a week have significantly higher bone density than nondrinkers

Of course, even moderate alcohol consumption seriously increases your risk of contracting oral, colon, breast or esophagal cancer. Considering I'm at much greater risk of having the problems drinking prevents than the ones it causes, I guess I'll have to err on the side of drinking more rather than less. Better go stock up on Two-buck Chuck.