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entertaining u newspaper: your monthly guide to entertainment
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Heart Healthy Dining
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Chris Duarte
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by erin thursby
scopes1925@msn.com
Wine drinkers welcome the news that drinking wine (specifically red wine) seems to lower your bad cholesterol and increase HDL or “good” cholesterol. Lower cholesterol means better heart health and red wine also contains components that keep your blood from forming clots and building up on artery walls.
“Studies comparing people who consume a glass a day of wine do have less heart attacks than those who do not. The risk seems to be 30-40%. However, the key is that it is only one half to one glass. People who drink more on a daily basis (2-3 or more) actually have more heart problems including heart attacks and heart failure. Though many speculate that red wine is most beneficial, this has not been proven as of yet,” says Dr. Lyndon Box of the University of Florida, Division of Cardiology.
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If you drink too much alcohol, it’s bad for you, notwithstanding the hangover you might have in the morning. Heartwise, it can eventually lead to cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. Excessive alcohol can lead to a consumption of too many empty calories, which, in turn can lead to obesity, a factor that raises your chances of a heart attack.
Red wines are found to contain flavonoids and antioxidents that may reduce your risk of heart attacks. The alcohol itself, in any form, seems to lower your risk of a heart attack by upping your HDL cholesterol. While red wine is thought to be most beneficial, studies conducted have found roughly the same positive correlation between healthy hearts and moderate drinking of any kind.
The healthiest drinking pattern is one (or two) drinks a day. This does not mean that you can “save up” and go on a binge of 14 drinks after two weeks of not drinking. But a couple of drinks a day can put you at risk for other things. There has been coloration between moderate drinking and breast cancer. If you have a family history of certain illnesses (or alcoholism), moderate daily drinking might not be right for you.
“Given the complexity of alcohol’s effects on the body and the complexity of the people who drink it, blanket recommendations about alcohol are out of the question.” says the Harvard School of Public Health. “Because each of us has unique personal and family histories, alcohol offers each person a different spectrum of benefits and risks. Whether or not to drink alcohol, especially for “medicinal purposes,” requires careful balancing of these benefits and risks.”
But what about one drink a day? That won’t kill you, and it might make you stronger while imparting a healthy glow as you get mildly buzzed.
“If you do drink 1/2 glass to one glass of an alcoholic beverage daily, good for you. If you drink much more than that consider cutting back. If you can’t cut back, consider getting help! If you don’t drink at all, try focusing on all of the other things that are good for your heart: exercise, diet, weight loss, cholesterol, blood pressure and not smoking,” says Dr. Box.
The American Heart Association “cautions people NOT to start drinking…if they do not already drink alcohol.” Also, if you already take a daily aspirin for heart health, it’s best not to mix that with alcohol. The AHA recommends a max of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women (A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.)
The bottom line: if you want to feel smug about imbibing, there is data to back you up, but only for the first glass or two.
Article Published in the 2-21-08 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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