Drinking just might be good for your health

By JANE CLARKE

London Observer Service

Undoubtedly, this holiday of the millennium will be a little merrier for all of us, so it is refreshing to know there are benefits to drinking.

Alcohol's talents are multifaceted, but perhaps the best known is the effect of the antioxidants present in most drinks, particularly red wine.

Antioxidants, aka flavonoids, have a protective effect on our overall health, as they reduce the damage caused by free radicals --- naturally produced in our body as a byproduct of using oxygen. While a few free radicals are necessary, too many cause damage to our cell walls, a process which can escalate to cause heart disease, arthritis, cataracts and aging of the skin.

Of all alcoholic drinks, red wine contains the most flavonoids, particularly anthocyanin and tannin. Both have been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease by preventing the damaging fats from oxidizing.

There are other beneficial antioxidants: resveratrol, quercetin, catechin and rutin. Resveratrol reduces platelet stickiness, decreases the risk of thrombosis and the development of atherosclerosis.

There is some dispute among scientists about the quantity one should stay below to be considered a moderate drinker. By British standards, moderate drinkers --- women who keep to 21 units (a unit being roughly a glass of wine, shot of spirit or half a pint of beer) and men who keep to 28 units (per week, not per day!) --- have been shown to have a much lower risk of developing heart disease. But it has to be said these benefits have mostly been experienced by post- menopausal women and men over 50.

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