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Wine drinkers are healthier, wealthier
A daily glass of red wine has been shown to help stave off heart disease and even cancer, but a Danish study said the grape`s salutary effects may be due to imbibers` sense of well-being.
A daily glass of red wine has been shown to help stave off heart disease and even cancer, but a Danish study said the grape`s salutary effects may be due to imbibers` sense of well-being.
The study of nearly 700 Danish adults aged 29 to 34 drew comparisons between wine drinkers and beer and liquor consumers and found the former had generally healthier habits and psyches, and were less likely to abuse alcohol.
Wine drinkers also tended to have a higher socioeconomic status and score higher on intelligence tests than beer or liquor drinkers, which the study speculated had ramifications for physical health.
"Our results suggest that wine drinking is associated with optimal social, intellectual and personality functioning," study author Erik Mortensen of the Danish Epidemiology Science Center in Copenhagen wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.
Previous studies have shown that light to moderate red wine consumption relieves stress and improves blood circulation, both deterrents to heart disease, and is linked to good self-perceived health. Ingredients in red wine are also believed to lower the risk of several health problems, including stroke, upper digestive tract cancer, lung cancer and hip fracture.
Overall mortality rates among wine drinkers are lower than for those who drink beer or alcohol, or for those who abstain, according to previous research.
In the Danish study, beer-drinking men scored poorly on personality disorder tests for anxiety and neuroticism compared to wine drinkers. Beer drinkers, particularly men, also consumed more alcohol and were more likely to abuse it.
"The dramatic IQ differences and differences in personality measures between wine drinkers and beer drinkers strongly suggest that wine and beer drinking in Denmark is associated with many known and unknown factors that may affect health, morbidity, and mortality," Mortensen wrote.
Wine drinkers also tended to have a higher socioeconomic status and score higher on intelligence tests than beer or liquor drinkers, which the study speculated had ramifications for physical health.
"Our results suggest that wine drinking is associated with optimal social, intellectual and personality functioning," study author Erik Mortensen of the Danish Epidemiology Science Center in Copenhagen wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.
Previous studies have shown that light to moderate red wine consumption relieves stress and improves blood circulation, both deterrents to heart disease, and is linked to good self-perceived health. Ingredients in red wine are also believed to lower the risk of several health problems, including stroke, upper digestive tract cancer, lung cancer and hip fracture.
Overall mortality rates among wine drinkers are lower than for those who drink beer or alcohol, or for those who abstain, according to previous research.
In the Danish study, beer-drinking men scored poorly on personality disorder tests for anxiety and neuroticism compared to wine drinkers. Beer drinkers, particularly men, also consumed more alcohol and were more likely to abuse it.
"The dramatic IQ differences and differences in personality measures between wine drinkers and beer drinkers strongly suggest that wine and beer drinking in Denmark is associated with many known and unknown factors that may affect health, morbidity, and mortality," Mortensen wrote.
"... Wine drinking was consistently associated with higher scores in parental social status, parental education and subjects` years in school and social status," he added. Bureau Report