Thursday, September 25, 2008

7.BOOZE.


By now you'll have heard that red wine in moderation helps protect against heart disease, but the healing benefits don't stop there.
If you're more of a beer drinker, take heart: studies in both the Netherlands and the Czech Replublic have found that the rich vitamin B6 cantent in beer can prevent the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid high levels of which have been linked to heart attacted. Beer also contain polyphenols-the same things that in wine are lauded for controlling LDL cholesteral.
What if you're a spirit-drinker? Well, if you like a gin and tonic, you may want to know that the quinine in tonic water (and bitter lemon) can prevent night cramps.
In a small 2005 study, Dr Richard Coppin, a general practitioner in the UK, showed that quinine was more effective than calf-stretching exercises in preventing the condition. Of course, tonic water cantains 83mg of quinine per litre - and doctors typically prescribe 200 to 300mg of quinine to be taken each night. But its possible that smaller doeses might help too,says Dr Coppin.

BUT WATCH OUT!!.

Not only drinking more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day for men (2-3 for women) a health risk, but booze is high in calories too. And very high does of quinine can result in cinchonism, a cluster of symptoms including tinnitus, headache, flushing, nausea, abdominal pain and rashes.

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