Wine, how I love thee. It’s not like I needed more good news to drink it in moderation. But here we are with news that it may help protect you against cancer.
Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health presented their compelling findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. They studied more than 500 women with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And what they found was astounding.
“We found that wine had a protective effect,” says Xuesong Han, a doctoral candidate in cancer epidemiology. More encouraging was that the protective effects were strongest with the most common of type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
While we’ve always been told to bone-up on our calcium intake to strengthen our bones, there may be an unlikely helper – moderate alcohol drinking.
A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that one or two drinks a day can improve your bone density. The study looked at the effect moderate drinking has on older men and women. It included 1,182 men, 1,289 post-menopausal women, and 248 pre-menopausal women, from as young as 29, to 86.
The lead researcher, Dr. Katherine Tucker of Tufts University, says that it’s not the alcohol (of course), but the high silicone content and resveratrol in beer and wine that benefit our bones. Liquor has less of a positive effect.
I’m sure you know that breast cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer in women, but did you know drinking as little as a half of glass of wine may increase your risk of developing breast cancer? You hear it all the time that a glass of wine is good for your heart, but are you sure you’d want that glass if you knew it could increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer? And it’s not just wine, switching to beer or spirits (liquor) increases your chances just the same. The more alcohol consumed on a regular basis, the greater your risk.
I’m not saying avoid alcohol all together, I’m just saying be aware and practice moderation. Women thinking about having a few glasses of wine a day for their heart-healthy effects need to figure in the new findings when weighing the risks and benefits. It’s important to realize the regular, repeated use increases the chance of breast cancer and having a glass of wine or beer on occasion is not a problem. Besides, by limiting your alcohol intake not only will you help reduce your risk of breast cancer, but you can also cut calories and slim down your waist line.
Learn how you can help DietsInReview.com donate $1 to breast cancer research on your behalf during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and win some great prizes!
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