Light drinking can protect women's health - and their waistline

I haven't been this excited since the Atkins diet promised me all the butter and cheese I could eat: Researchers have added one more health benefit to the occasional glass of wine. Apparently, it helps keep off the pounds. That is, for women at least. Men: You'll have to cry in your beer over this one. A group of researchers found that women who drank the equivalent of one to two drinks a day were least likely to gain weight - 30 percent less likely, in fact, than women who did not drink at all. And, as we all know, keeping off unwanted pounds is a prerequisite to good health.

"Our study results showed that middle-age and older women who have normal body weight initially and consume light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol could maintain their drinking habits without gaining more weight, compared with similar women who did not drink any alcohol," said study author Dr. Lu Wang, an epidemiologist with the division of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. Within reason, the more women drank the less weight they gained as they aged, researchers found. Women who didn't drink at all gained the most weight. The findings are published in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Sheesh. And to think I waste my time running to stay slim and healthy, when I could just be kicking back on the sofa with a glass of merlot, or shiraz, or... you get the picture. (Although relaxing with the occasional and responsible glass of wine has always been a part of my mental health plan). Researchers say there could be any number of reasons for their findings, including different ways that women metabolize alcohol, compared with men. Also, researchers say, women tend to substitute alcohol for other foods, whereas men tend to simply add alcohol to everything else they eat.

I know there are some cultures that regularly drink wine with dinner (and lunch, and brunch) and yet still don't measure up to Americans when it comes to obesity. So it's not like the premise for this study is coming completely out of nowhere. I still think, however, that before we down a martini each night instead of doing our ab crunches we should consider this study in the context of the current pile of confusing and at times contradictory health studies involving alcohol. Some research has found that men and, to a lesser extent, women who drink moderately over the long-term have a lower risk for heart disease. But another study has found that even moderate drinking might raise the risk for breast, liver and other cancers in women. If that study is true, then we women might be gaining one health benefit - a lower percentage of body fat - but at the cost of increasing our risk of developing other conditions most definitely harmful to our health.

Whom do we believe? It's a good question. I don't advocate that the National Institutes of Health or some other public health agency establish a "Truth-O-Meter" to help us wade through the confusion that spills across the pages of medical journals. But maybe the government could pay for each of us to spend an hour with a medical actuary, someone who could calculate our personal risk and advise us to follow the findings of Study X but ignore Study Y for optimal health and longevity. I'm kidding, of course, but how do you suggest we get clarity? Put down your beer and tell me your ideas.

Photo Credit: yashima