Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Now they say drinking is actually good for you

Doctors believe that current drinking guidelines for the elderly are too conservative It seems that regular moderate drinking is actually good for the elderly.

Alcohol can boost the functioning of the brain, banish depression and provide a sense of well-being to the over-65s, say doctors. They concluded that two drinks a day did no harm to the elderly and in some cases it was more beneficial than abstinence.

The research on British pensioners showed that 28.6 per cent of the men and 10.3 per cent of the women had more than one drink a day. In the US, 10.8 per cent of men and 2.9 per cent of women consumed the same level.

The studies found a lower risk of death or disability among British drinkers compared to Americans. The worst health results were among those who did not drink at all and heavy drinkers.

So first of all drinking a glass or two of wine was good for you. Then there was concern that middle class drinking was more of a problem than young people's binge drinking. Following that the guidelines were exposed as just figures dreamed up without any factual basis. Now we're back to drinking is OK. Good job we live in Spain where sensible drinking has always been part of the culture.


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