Older people can benefit from a glass of red wine or even a beer. So says a study of 333,247 people between 1997 and 2009 in the National Health Interview Survey.
There have been numerous studies in the past but none was on such a large scale. Participants were divided into 6 groups from ‘Heavy drinkers’ to ‘Abstainers’.
Researchers showed that heavy male drinkers had an increased mortality of 25% overall, and 67% from cancer. The increases in women drinkers were not statistically significant.
But when it came to light to moderate drinkers, there was an improved life expectancy.
For example for moderate drinkers (between 5 and 14 units per week); males had a 13% decrease in overall mortanlity and 21% from cancer; while women were 25% and 34% respectively.
A unit was a glass of wine or a small beer.
Chris Woollams, former Oxford University Biochemist and founder of CANCERactive said, “We have seen these results before in studies on the Rainbow Diet – the colourful Mediterranean diet. One recently showed the importance of red wine and calorie restriction. Another showed that merlot was even enjoyed by your Bifidobacteria! All joking apart, the research concluded that the advantages of a relaxing and healthy drink in moderation, rather than excess, as you age were significant, especially in men.”