Wine & Weight Gain The Secret To Living Longer?

It goes against everything we’ve been told, but could these ‘sins’ lead to a lengthier life expectancy? We ask two experts for their opinion

It’s a conundrum; every day it seems as if scientists are telling us to do something different to lead a longer, healthier life. the latest dispute? to drink or not to drink – should we raise a glass to eternal youth? According to researchers at Oxford and Cardiff universities, no. their joint study revealed that drinking just a little over one unit of alcohol a day is enough to raise the risk of dementia – not great news for anyone who enjoys the odd tipple! However, scientists at the University of California, Irvine concluded that people who drank moderate amounts of alcohol tended to live longer than those who abstained. Dr Claudia Kawas, who co-led this study, said, ‘I believe that modest drinking improves longevity.’ Plus, her findings about weight loss reveal that people who were overweight in their seventies lived longer than normal or underweight people did. ‘Underweight people can have a 50% increase in their mortality. It’s not too bad to be skinny when you are young, but it’s very bad to be skinny when you’re old.’ So who’s right? We asked two experts for their conflicting opinions, and leave you to decide…

‘Wine in moderation contains a number of health benefits’