To your health

Women who enjoy a glass of wine daily--or a bottle of beer or a mixed drink--are more likely to remain mentally alert in old age than teetotalers, according to a Harvard Medical School study of 12,000 women aged 70-81. "Low levels of alcohol appear to have cognitive benefits," says Francine Grodstein, PhD, an associate professor of medicine whose research appears in the January 20, 2005 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, which indicates that women who drink daily run a 20 percent lower risk of dementia, is among the first to show that moderate consumption of alcohol is not only good for the heart but also for the mind--and for the same reason: Alcohol appears to improve blood flow.

Source: Vegetarian Times, 2005