wine and health

The American Heart Association recently released the results of a survey of Americans on their knowledge of healthy drinking and consumption of sea salt. No surprise, they concluded that we have it all wrong. On the plus side, two thirds agreed with the statement that wine is good for the heart, but less than one third know the AHA’s recommended limits of a daily glass or two for men and no more than one for women. The survey showed that “we need to do a better job of educating people about the heart-health risks of overconsumption of wine” according to a spokesperson. I say bless their hearts but their paternalistic message only adds to the confusion. For starters, they don’t even have their definitions right, which is a 5-ounce pour as the standard on which research and policymakers have long agreed, but the AHA cuts it back to 4. Granted, they have come a long way since the mid 1990’s when the official policy grudgingly acknowledged that a glass or two a day “might be considered...

In a drastic lurch back to Victorian era temperance, the American Heart Association came out this month with lifestyle recommendations intended to promote “ideal cardiovascular health.” Their list of “Life’s Simple Seven” includes: • Never smoked or quit more than one year ago; • Body mass index less than 25 kg/m2 (I.e., not overweight) • Physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate intensity) or 75 minutes (vigorous intensity) each week; • Four to five of the key components of a healthy diet consistent with current American Heart Association guideline recommendations; • Total cholesterol of less than 200; • Blood pressure below 120/80; • Fasting blood glucose less than 100. Not much to quibble with there it would seem, but as always the devil is in the details. Let’s look more closely at the “healthy diet” components: • Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber — and they’re low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you ...