Wine & Health: Drink Wine for Glamorous Gams?

No, it's not some kind of new Cabernet grape scrub or firming lotion. After all, what could be more glamorous than legs with good circulation? A recent study concluded that moderate wine consumption (or beer or liquor, for that matter) may protect elderly individuals from leg artery disease, a condition that narrows the arteries and reduces circulation in the legs.

A group of researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Massachusetts reported their findings in the January 2008 American Journal of Epidemiology.

After studying a group of elderly men and women, the results showed that those who drank between one and 13 servings of wine, beer or liquor per week had a 44% lower risk of being hospitalized for leg artery disease compared to the individuals who consumed no alcohol. The study seems to be another positive correlation between moderate alcohol consumption and improved cardiovascular health - in this case the reduced arterial pressure in the lower legs.

As usual, researchers cautioned that alcohol consumption also comes with its own set of risks, including negative side affects when mixed with many prescription drugs, which must be weighed by any given individual against alcohol's potential benefits.