Drink to Your Health!

French women have long been heralded as beacons of fashion. One of the long lauded and oft-admired traits of the French woman is her ability to enjoy wine daily, and still retain her figure. Well, there's even more to it than that, as drinking a small glass of wine everyday has several distinct benefits to your health.

Originally published in the February 2008 issue of Health magazine, Debra Gordon identified the following six benefits derived from daily imbibement in her article "6 Reasons Why a Little Glass of Wine Each Day May Do You Good."

1. Feed Your Head - Wine can not only preserve your memory, but also prevents clots and reduces blood vessel inflammation. Alcohol has also been linked to raising HDL (the good cholesterol), which helps to unblock your arteries. 
2. Keep the Scale in Your Corner - Daily wine drinkers have been shown to have lower body mass than those who only occasionally indulge, while moderate wine drinkers also have more slender waists and less abdominal fat than those who drink liquor. Plus, studies have shown that alcohol may encourage your body to burn extra calories for up to 90 minutes after it's consumed. 
3. Boost Your Body's Defenses - According to a British study, people who consumed one glass of wine per day reduced their risk of infection from the bacteria that mainly causes gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancers by 11%! Even just half a glass has been cited to fight against food poisoning when consumed with contaminated food. 
4. Guard Against Ovarian Woes - In an Australian study, researches found that those who consumed one glass of wine per day reduced their risk for developing ovarian cancer by as much as 50%. 
5. Build Better Bones - Moderate drinkers appear to have higher bone mass, in that alcohol seems to delay the body's destruction of old bone. 
6. Prevent Blood-Sugar Trouble - Women who have not yet hit menopause and who drink between one and two glasses per day are up to 40% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Researchers indicated that wine appears to reduce insulin resistance in diabetic patients as well. 

As in most (if not all) aspects of life, moderation is always key, so don't feel guilty about enjoying your favorite vintage tonight. After all, you're drinking to your health!