Think before you drinkA recent report has shed new light on alcohol and the human body. So if you drink, here’s what you should know Wine drinkers are less likely to get cancer than those who drink beer or spirits. A substance found in grapes, called resveratol, is thought to inhibit cancer. So think before you drink. A glass of red wine a day may also help combat heart disease. But you can get the same benefits from drinking red grape juice. This contains about three times more nitric acid than wine, which widens blood vessels and so protects against strokes. People who drink between seven and 21 units of spirits a week (as opposed to wine) double their likelihood of getting cancer of the digestive tract compared to teetotallers. Although women generally drink far less than men, the consequences are more serious. They become intoxicated more quickly and alcohol causes more physical harm. This is because women's bodies have far more fat and less water than men and concentrations of alcohol are therefore higher in women than in men of equal height and weight. A little alcohol can boost your libido, but more than three units a day does the reverse. And, women who drink moderately or otherwise take longer to get pregnant.  Alcohol is not to blame for ‘beer bellies’. Beer contains no fat or sugar, and has a good amount of carbohydrates, protein and vitamins. But it is a great appetite stimulant so we eat more. Hence the belly Alcohol has been shown to offer protection against mouth ulcers. In a study in the UK involving 447 people, aged between 15-79, alcohol seemed to stop mouth ulcers from developing. Alcoholism may be genetic. Scientists in America have found that children whose parents were drinkers were more likely to become alcohol dependent than those whose parents didn't drink, and this also applied to adopted children who were raised by non-drinking parents. |
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