Wine Drinkers Lead Healthier Lives than Beer or Liquor Drinkers

"To your health"… it means something new now

A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
points strongly to the conclusion that wine drinkers lead
healthier lives than beer or liquor drinkers, or those with
no clear preference. Needless to say, having written a great
deal in the past about the pros and cons of alcohol
consumption, the piece piqued my interest.

The report - based on a University of North Carolina alumni
study of 4500 men of similar socioeconomic status -
concluded that the "wine snobs" among them exercised more,
ate healthier, and were less likely to smoke than their beer
and liquor loving (and even non-drinking) buddies. From
these facts, they postulated that previous studies
illustrating the healthy benefits of wine itself could be
merely a reflection of the overall healthier lifestyle that
wine drinkers apparently lead. But this study seems only to
show that wine drinking is correlative to other healthy
habits. It concludes nothing whatsoever about the benefits
of the wine itself.

In my opinion, a more revealing study would be to identify a
large pool of people with similar lifestyle, eating, and
exercise habits, then break them down by drinking preference
and analyze the long-term health of each group. This would
more clearly show the benefits (if any) of one type of
beverage over another.

Many in the medical community agree that wine is good for
you, more or less regardless of your lifestyle - just look
up what's known as the "French Paradox" and you'll see what
I mean. But what I believe is that moderate amounts of any
type of alcoholic beverage can be beneficial to the health
of most people. In fact, in the May 2002 issue of my
newsletter, I wrote about a British study of both men and
women indicating exactly that - measurable health benefits
of mild, nonspecific alcohol consumption, especially for
those over 50.

So don't shy away from responsibly tipping a glass now and
again. You'll be doing yourself some good no matter what's
in it.
        
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Spouses really are a pain

How's this for funny: A study by German psychologists
suggests that simply having a spouse in the same room can
actually make pain worse! I'm not even kidding here.

The study focused on patients with back pain. The suffering
subjects were divided into two groups: One whose spouses
doted on them with massages, medicine, and other attention,
and another group in which spouses downplayed their mates'
condition, distracted them with other activities or even
left the room.

Guess which group fared worse in the pain department?

That's right - the pampered patients reported the worst
discomfort, and their pain-related brain waves were three
times higher than their counterparts who were left alone.

From this data, the researchers concluded that the typical
conduct - and even the mere presence - of a spouse actually
stimulates physical pain.

Now, before you think I'm advocating this approach, let's
consider the reality of the situation.
 
Trust me on this one (especially you men): No matter what
these psychologists say, don't ignore your spouse's pain -
or you'll be the one who's hurting. (I can just see the
letters in my inbox now: "Doc, I ignored her so she'd get
better - and she did! But did she thank me? No, she whacked
me upside the head with the rolling pin!")

Given plenty of TLC, the pain will go away, but your
marriage won't.