The March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine is encouraging middle aged folks to pick up a bottle. According to a new study led by Dr. Dana King of the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, folks who newly begin consuming moderate amounts of alcohol in middle age benefit from lower cardiovascular disease morbidity.

Results of the study indicated that the new moderate drinkers had a 38% lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease, but their was no difference in all-cause mortality between the new drinkers and the nondrinkers.

But what interested me the most, was this:

"The new drinkers also showed a modest improvement in HDL-cholesterol levels and no adverse effect on blood pressure. The researchers say that these data support the idea that initiating alcohol use in middle age may have an overall positive impact on cardiovascular health and that, for carefully selected individuals, a "heart-healthy diet" may include limited alcohol consumption, even among individuals who have not included alcohol previously."

I stopped drinking years ago, but on occasion will have a glass of wine--probably not more than 3-4 a year. However, my HDL-cholesterol levels (due largely to heredity, and partly because I can't seem to get my but in gear to exercise) remain low. Before you get the idea that we (that's you and I) will drink our way to better cholesterol levels, this study was only conducted on people who had never drunk alcohol before. For those of us who might have pickled our liver in college, the benefits may not apply.

I guess "we" still better find our way to the gym.

Read the full article here if you're interested:Read it now