Okay, so here's the thing: A) I've been totally slacking on Newsday Tuesdays 'cause I haven't really been motivated to write, and B) my last two posts had way too many references to exercise, eating right, and wearing bathingsuits.Although I have prematurely traded my uggs for flip flops and transitioned from hot to iced coffee, let's pump the breaks on summer and take a minute to remember the benefits of our favorite year-round pasttime..... boozing.
(My obvious commentary in green. Information courtesy of CNN Health)
Study: Women who drink are less likely to gain weight
Some women avoid drinking calorie-filled cocktails, wine, and beer because they're worried about packing on the pounds.* Now, a new study suggests that women who are moderate drinkers** actually tend to gain less weight over time than teetotalers.
*At the risk of offending any of my readers: I simply cannot stand calorie-counting chicks who won't drink beer. Sorry, it's just un-American.
**I'm also going to loosely interpret "moderate" to mean the exact amount of alcohol I see fit.
The risk of becoming overweight or obese falls as alcohol consumption rises, even when factors such as smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity are taken into account, the study found.
Women who consumed between 1.5* and 3 drinks daily had a 27 percent and 61 percent lower risk of becoming overweight or obese, respectively, than women who didn't drink at all**, according to the study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
*Does anyone honestly consume just half of a drink?? Adult or not, that's a party foul.
**I am not friends with these women.
However, the researchers did not look at how the participants' drinking may have affected their lives besides weight gain. Alcohol use can lead to health problems and "psychosocial problems," they point out, and they caution that appropriate alcohol intake differs for each individual and depends on a range of factors. In addition to potentially causing problems at work* and with relationships**, daily alcohol consumption has a number of health risks, including a small increase in the risk of breast cancer.
*Don't drink at work.
**Avoid toxic relationships.
No problem!
Experts recommend that women drink no more than one alcoholic beverage a day, and that men limit themselves to two.*
*Double-fucking-standards strike again!
And if you don't drink, experts say, these findings shouldn't inspire you to start hitting the bottle."It won't change recommendations for my patients, I can say that for certain," says Scott Kahan, M.D., the co-director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program, in Washington, D.C. "If you don't drink, there's no reason to start."*
*I can think of about 64 reasons to start, but that's probably a discussion for another blog... or a therapist.
But, he adds, "I think [the study] suggests that there's no need to quit or avoid alcohol if it's something you enjoy."*
*That's really all I need to know.... And just in time for St. Patrick's Day debauchery!
(To read the less entertaining, albeit more informative and complete statistics from the original article, see full text here.)
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