The New Complete Book of Food
Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Lower risk of stroke. In January 1999, the results of a 677-person study published by
researchers at New York Presbyterian Hospital–Columbia University showed that moder-
ate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of stroke due to a blood clot in the brain among
older people (average age: 70). How the alcohol prevents stroke is still unknown, but it is
clear that moderate use of alcohol is a key. Heavy drinkers (those who consume more than
seven drinks a day) have a higher risk of stroke. People who once drank heavily, but cut their
consumption to moderate levels, may also reduce their risk of stroke. Numerous later studies
have confirmed these findings.Reduced risk of heart attack. Data from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention
Study 1, an 12-year survey of more than 1 million Americans in 25 states, shows that men
who take one drink a day have a 21 percent lower risk of heart attack and a 22 percent lower
risk of stroke than men who do not drink at all. Women who have up to one drink a day also
reduce their risk of heart attack. Numerous later studies have confirmed these findings.
Lower cholesterol levels. Beverage alcohol decreases the body’s production and storage of
low density lipoproteins (LDLs), the protein and fat particles that carry cholesterol into your
arteries. As a result, people who drink moderately tend to have lower cholesterol levels and
higher levels of high density lipoproteins (HDLs), the fat and protein particles that carry
cholesterol out of the body.
Appetite stimulation. Alcohol beverages stimulate the production of saliva and gastric acids
that cause the stomach contractions we call hunger pangs. Moderate amounts, which may
help stimulate appetite, are often prescribed for geriatric patients, convalescents, and people
who do not have ulcers or other chronic gastric problems.
Dilation of blood vessels. Alcohol dilates the tiny blood vessels just under the skin, bringing
blood up to the surface. That’s why moderate amounts of alcohol beverages (0.2–1 gram per
kilogram of body weight—that is, 6.6 ounces of wine for a 150-pound adult) temporarily
warms the drinker. But the warm blood that flows up to the surface of the skin will cool
down there, making you even colder when it circulates back into the center of your body.
Then an alcohol flush will make you perspire, so that you lose more heat. Excessive amounts
of beverage alcohol may depress the mechanism that regulates body temperature.Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Increased risk of breast cancer. In 2008, scientists at the National Cancer Institute released
data from a seven-year survey of more than 100,000 postmenopausal women showing that
even moderate drinking (one to two drinks a day) may increase by 32 percent a woman’s
risk of developing estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) and progesterone-receptor positive (PR+)
breast cancer, tumors whose growth is stimulated by hormones. No such link was found
between consuming alcohol and the risk of developing ER-/PR- tumors (not fueled by hor-
mones). The finding applies to all types of alcohol: beer, wine, and distilled spirits.