A (little) alcohol is really healthy

Do you like a glass on time and standing? Do not change that habit, because moderate alcohol consumption is best in a healthy lifestyle. What's more, while drinking too much or too often often causes misery, a few glasses of wine, beer or cider can work wonders.

Wine

Scientists suspected centuries ago that wine really does promote the health of body and limb. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, advised his patients to serve themselves a good glass every day . At the renowned University of Montpellier in the 13th century, at least half of the medicine recipes contained wine, even Louis Pasteur called wine "the healthiest and most hygienic drink there is". In the meantime, research has shown that moderate wine drinking protects you against:

When the French toast with a glass of wine, they say "a votre santé" for a reason. Wine - and red wine in particular - must be some of the most complex drink a person can brew. During the fermentation or fermentation process of the grapes, all kinds of chemical reactions take place, causing some substances to be released and others to change their chemical composition. The end product is a drink with more than a hundred different ingredients, in particular flavonoids. These are powerful antioxidants that give our cells and tissues extra protection against harmful influences from the inside and outside. The more flavonoids in your diet, the better your cardiovascular health, research has shown.

Stomach ulcers are caused by stress, wine, coffee and spicy dishes, or so it was said until recently. Wrong, because not eating or living habits, but a bacterium - the Helicobacter pylori - causes nine out of ten stomach ulcers. About half of us carry the bacteria from childhood, the World Health Organization suspects. Why it causes inflammation in some carriers and not in others remains a mystery for the time being. Wine is known to help prevent such infections. Wine also makes short work of other pathogenic germs such as salmonella and E. Coli, proven biologists at Oregon State University. The lactic and tartaric acid in white wine, in particular, is said to eliminate uninvited guests, thus preventing food poisoning. Be careful though, because drinking too much wine can actually lead to an increased risk of stomach infections and even stomach cancer.

Flight attendants and other frequent flyers were recently given an excuse to open a good bottle more often. After a long flight, drinking two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon every day would greatly reduce the harmful effects of cosmic rays - radioactivity from space and solar flares. At least, that's what Farrol Khan, director of the British Aviation Health Institute, claims. We are also exposed to such rays on Earth, but on mountain peaks and on airplanes they are of course the most intense. It is not yet clear what effect an excess of cosmic rays has on our health, but some studies suggest an increased risk of cancer. But according to Khan - and a team of Bulgarian scientists - you can get rid of that problem with a pair of glasses of cabernet. The grape variety is said to contain a pigment that helps the body to excrete radioactive particles.

Your teeth themselves may become a bit gray, but red wine makes your gums stronger. This is evident from a Canadian study. Again, the polyphenols ensure that you are less likely to suffer from periodontitis and that your teeth are less likely to fall out. Chateau Colgate, anyone?

Strange but true: until the 1970s, patients in English hospitals were given a bottle of beer with their meal every day. Not necessarily because the British have maintained their reputation for drinking organs, but because beer - like wine - reduces your risk of death from heart disease. Dark beers brewed with concentrated malt in particular are full of polyphenols, keeping your heart and blood vessels in top condition. But there are more reasons to indulge in a good beer every now and then:

Beer is an excellent source of silicon, an essential mineral that keeps your cartilage and bones strong and helps prevent osteoporosis. Silicon is found in many grain products, but silicon from beer can be absorbed more easily by our body than silicon from other foods. One beer already supplies 20 percent of your daily requirement. The hops used in traditional beer brewing, which give beer its bitter taste, also provide phytoestrogens that provide extra protection against osteoporosis. If you want to please your bones, just order a bouncer or an omelette with cheese and a glass of beer on your next visit to the eatery. The calcium in the cheese and the natural ingredients in the beer will give you the perfect meal to strengthen your bones.

Beer would work wonders not only for our hair but also for our brains. Because it is made from grains such as barley and wheat, beer is high in vitamin B3 or niacin, a vitamin that keeps our heads clear. According to some studies, niacin may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. Skin and hair also benefit from the vitamin Bs in beer, say some beauticians. In Czech spas you can slide yourself into a bath full of beer, the German Klosterbrauerei even developed a special beer to combat the aging process of the skin.

Centuries before whiskey became an internationally renowned drink, the Scots already distilled uisge beatha "or" water of life. " They hit the nail on the head with that name, because the powerful antioxidant ellagic acid in whiskey is said to destroy threatening cancer cells in our body. In particular, the single malts - the whiskeys that, unlike other types, are made with only malted barley - are said to score high as cancer fighters. And of course everyone knows the folk remedy for a sore throat: warm whiskey with lemon and honey.

Gin, a distillate with juniper berries, began its career in 16th century Holland as a cheap diuretic, a means to expel urine and excess fluid. Today, herbalists still use the drink as a remedy for liver and kidney diseases. More than other alcoholic brews, gin makes you go to the toilet more often. That's why some women swear by that extra gin and tonic when the time of the month - and that bloating - comes again.

Scientists at the University of Glasgow recently called drinking cider as healthy as eating apples. Some cider varieties are said to contain up to 3 grams per liter of polyphenols, and therefore protect you even better against all kinds of diseases than red wine. Especially the English elsewhere are said to be chock-full of polyphenols and give your health a nice helping hand. According to another study, fermented apples provide cider with a high iron content, and iron is badly needed for the production of tissues and blood. Guaranteed hangover-free iron sources include red meat, seaweed, leafy green vegetables, nuts and grain products.

Whatever ailments alcohol can solve, it remains a stimulant to which you can become addicted. In order to continue to enjoy it "to the fullest", it is best to follow a few rules of thumb: drink no more than two to three glasses a day, and regularly take a few (consecutive) non-alcoholic days. Do not give your children alcohol or drink yourself if you are pregnant or on medication.