Hi everybody this is Monica Reinagle the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty

tips for eating well and to feeling fabulous tis the season to be jolly and with all the celebrations at this time of year, it seems like the perfect time to talk about the benefits and the risks of drinking alcohol.

Also, for those of you who have asked me to sing on the podcast, there's a little something extra for you right at the very end of the show.

Whenever my friend orders a drink or a glass of wine, he always jokes that it's strictly for medicinal purposes, or doctor's orders.

After all, moderate alcohol consumption has a number of well-publicized health benefits.

Statistically, people who have a drink or so a day live a bit longer than tea totlers. Why? Well, moderate alcohol

consumption is good for your heart. It reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke,

presumably by thinning the blood and reducing inflammation.

Although the cardiovascular benefits account for most of the impact on longevity,

a bit of alcohol also seems to reduce the risk of lots of other diseases.

You'll find a link in the show notes to more information on the health benefits of alcohol.

It doesn't matter what kind of alcohol you drink either. Red wine may offer a little

extra health boost in the form of polyphenols that are found in the skins of the grapes.

These benefits are also available in non-alcoholic grape juice, by the way.

But in terms of overall health and longevity, beer, wine, and spirits all have about the same benefits.

On average, people who drink moderately live a little longer than those who don't drink at all.

But, and this is a big but, this modest benefit disappears pretty quickly as alcohol consumption goes up.

In the show notes, I've got a link to a graph that charts the relationship between alcohol consumption and mortality rates,

and you'll see right away why this relationship is often described as a J-shaped curve.

The mortality rates dip slightly as alcohol intake increases from zero to one or two drinks

a day, but then it rises sharply with every drink after

that.

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