Dear Living Well Daily Reader,
There’s nothing better than ending a hard day with a frosty beer or a nice glass of red wine.
But everywhere we turn, we’re told how bad alcohol is for us.
Well, what if that isn’t the case… what if your favorite beer or merlot could actually save your life instead?
You see, scientists have recently discovered that alcohol can slash your risk of developing a potentially deadly stroke or heart disease.
The trick? You have to enjoy it in the exact right amount.
So what’s this magic amount that can actually turn alcohol into a health drink?
One–two daily drinks for men and one drink a day for women.
To find that number, researchers followed 80,000 healthy Chinese adults for six years.
The participants were ranked by how much they drank — from those who completely abstained to so-called “heavy” drinkers (men who had more than two drinks a day and women who had more than one drink a day).
Turns out folks who fell into the “moderate” drinker range (one–two drinks for men and up to one daily drink for women) saw an amazing heart benefit — a slower decrease in HDL cholesterol levels.
Let me explain…
HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is the “good” type of cholesterol that can protect your heart against heart disease and stroke. And as we age, our levels of this healthy fat naturally decrease.
However, it looks like you can stop this decline signifcantly just by enjoying a drink or two a night.
And the news gets even better for beer drinkers.
Turns out HDL levels decrease at an even slower rate for those who like to tip back a daily brewski. Plus, other research shows that xanthohumol, a compound found in hops, reduces LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
So don’t skip happy hour or say no to that nightcap. Instead, tip back that glass and toast a longer, healthier life.
Live well,
Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: nmoore@lfb.org – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Sources
[1] Moderate alcohol intake may slow good cholesterol’s decline
