Moderate Alcohol Consumption May be Overrated

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

More and more research comes out every month linking moderate alcohol consumption with various health benefits.

A recent study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that some of these benefits may actually be due to lifestyle factors rather than alcohol consumption.

The study, known as the “Health, Aging and Body Composition Study” included over 3000 adults aged 70-79. None of the participants had mobility disability at the beginning of the study, defined as difficulty walking one-quarter of a mile or climbing stairs.

After 6.5 years of follow-up the researchers found that participants with moderate alcohol consumption had the lowest incidence of mobility disability.

When the researchers then adjusted their results to account for lifestyle factors, they saw a significant reduction in the relationship between alcohol intake and mobility disability.

Since there was no change when the researchers adjusted for demographic factors or for diseases and health status, the researchers concluded that lifestyle factors may be responsible for the perceived association between alcohol intake and functional ability.

If you are going to consume moderate amounts of alcohol, you may with to consider wine. Wine seems to show the most promise when it comes to boosting your health because of its high level of a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. It is important to keep in mind that the potential health benefits of consuming moderate amounts of alcohol are easily offset by the negative effects of drinking more than 1 or 2 glasses a day.