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Wine’s good for the stomach: Really?
A reader who asked that question of the NYT Science pages got a resounding “Yes”, from the Bible and modern research.
“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake’’ goes the Bible verse (1 Tim 5:23), which may say more about the safety of ancient water supplies. No matter, new studies in Germany show fermented beverages (not distilled) stimulate gastric acid to speed digestion. Also red meat and red wine work together well: the protein softens tannins and wine reduces oxidized fats called MDA’s. To your health!
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
A prescription diabetics can live with
“Fight diabetes – with wine and beer” was a surprise come-on on a new pitch from Prevention magazine, the good people, make that very good and prudent people at Rodale, but not entirely sober-sided. Don’t be stunned. Modern medicine has steadily found that daily moderate alcohol consumption improves metabolism, facilitates insulin reaction and reduces the risk of Type II diabetes (ask the man who owns one). No less than the diabetes gurus at the Joslin Center at Boston Medical Center sum up 15 studies from around the world: “Moderate drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes than are abstainers. Teetotalers and heavy drinkers have equally high risk of the disease. Moderate drinkers (those who drank between about a half a drink to four drinks per day) were found to be 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than abstainers or heavy drinkers.” The key was not which form of alcohol they drank it was the pattern. “It’s much better to consume frequently (such as daily) rather than infrequently for maximum health benefits.”
- Chris Sherman