"Help Your Heart With Exercise and Booze"
Finally I'm doing something right!! Here are some highlights from this great article. But if you would like to read the whole thing click the link above.
Moderate drinkers are at 30% lower risk of heart disease than teetotallers, according to a study of nearly 12,000 people. And those who combine a mild tipple with regular exercise are even less likely to die of the disease. Their risk is between 44% and 50% lower than couch potatoes who abstain from alcohol.
The team behind the 20-year study said that previous research has shown that moderate drinking and exercise both lower the risk of heart disease. But this is the first time scientists have quantified the benefits of both together.
"We've known for years that physical activity is good for you and it prevents heart disease. And the same for alcohol - a small amount of alcohol is good for the heart," said Morten Grønbæk, a professor at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen.
The safest combination was moderate drinking and physical activity. People who drank at least one drink a week and kept active had a 44% to 50% lower risk of heart disease compared with inactive non-drinkers. The team defined moderate drinking as fewer than 14 units of alcohol a week. A unit is equivalent to half a pint of weak lager. A 175ml glass of wine contains 2.3 units. The team thinks alcohol acts to reduce the amount of "bad cholesterol" in the blood, which causes heart disease.
On a serious note. Heart disease does run in my family so I'm definitly taking some interest in these findings. I do enjoy the occasional glass of wine and I'm starting to enjoy exercise (a teeny bit) It's nice to know I'm doing something good for my body!
2 comments:
HMMM - sounds like as good a reason as any to have a glass of wine after the gym!
-Chris
Doesn't It?? It can be a reward for the work-out. That would certainly help me push through the last 10-15 minutes if I knew that I could go home to a glass of wine.
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