Adam Jones
Psyc&100
Clark College
Ron Lajoy, Ph.D.
Alcohol contrary to what one may believe in moderation, loosely defined as 2-3 servings of alcohol for men and 1-2 servings for women, has a wide array of health benefits. One of the earliest studies of health benefits on moderate alcohol consumption was published in the American Medical Association in 1904. Alcohol benefits the blood lipid profile, increasing good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. It also decreases blood clotting, reduces coronary artery spasm responses to stress, increases blood flow, reduced blood pressure, reduces insulin level, and increases estrogen levels. Studies have show that moderate alcohol consumption can reduces the risk of ischemic strokes by about half in both women and men in all ethnicities. Moderate consumption of alcohol also increases the survivability of heart attacks; moderate drinking for the year prior to a heart attack, or AMI can reduce the risk of dying from the AMI or heart attack by 32% compare to abstainers of alcohol. Alcohol also works with preventing cardiovascular disease; “In a study of nearly 88,000 men, researchers found reductions in coronary heart disease risk with increasing frequency of drinking alcohol for both diabetics and non- diabetics. Weekly consumption of alcohol reduced CHD risk by one-third (33%) while daily consumption reduced the risk by over half (58%) among diabetics. For non-diabetics, weekly consumption reduced CHD risk by 18% while daily consumption reduced the risk by 39%.” (Potsdam.edu) According to 15 studies conducted in the US, Japan, Finland, Korea, The Netherlands, Germany and the U.K. Those who drink in moderation also decrease their chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 30% compared to abstainers. These studies also confirmed that what you drink is not as important as the frequency in which you drink. Consuming alcohol frequently, in moderation, is much better