It’s hard enough knowing what to eat—low carb? low fat? high protein?—that you’d think you could find a little clarity in alcohol. Is it healthy or harmful? Will it help you live longer? Is it good for your heart or your mind? To find out, we surveyed a collection of recent research reports. The results are muddled.
First, the good news: Moderate drinking may stave off mental decline in old age. A group of Harvard epidemiologists analyzed data from the 121,700-participant, three-decade-long Nurses’ Health Study and found that middle-aged women who drink a glass of wine a day (or its equivalent) are 20 percent less likely than nondrinkers to suffer from age-related memory impairment and other cognitive problems later in life. Meanwhile, Japanese scientists studying mice have found that certain unidentified compounds in lager and stout beer prevent DNA damage from heterocyclic amines, a class of cancer-causing chemicals found in ...
