MSNBC: Want to live longer? Toss back a few cocktails

Not like anybody needs another excuse to quaff a few, but yet more research is appearing showing a correlation between moderate drinking and good health. Folks familiar with the Mediterranean Diet will not be surprised by this, nor anyone who has been paying attention to health articles, tv shows, or other publicity.

On MSNBC: “Want to live longer? Toss back a few cocktails”

According to the data, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol — up to four drinks per day in men and two drinks per day in women — reduces the risk of death from any cause by roughly 18 percent, the team reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Now, this does not mean everybody should start drinking four drinks a day. One person’s “moderate” is another’s “excessive.” Instead:

“Little amounts, preferably during meals, this appears to be the right way (to drink alcohol),” said Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano of Catholic University, another author on the study. “This is another feature of the Mediterranean diet, where alcohol, wine above all, is the ideal partner of a dinner or lunch, but that’s all: the rest of the day must be absolutely alcohol-free.”

Ah, there it is again — a mention of the Mediterranean Diet. But do you really suppose the good Dr. de Gaetano speaks like this in real life…

“The message carried by scientific studies like ours is simple,” Dr. de Gaetano continued. “Alcohol can be a respectful guest on our table, but it is good just when it goes with a healthy lifestyle, where moderation leads us toward a consumption inspired by quality not by quantity.”

So have a glass of wine or pint of beer with dinner — it does a body good. ;)