“Feel I’m goin’ back to Massachusetts, something’s telling me I must go home, And the lights all went out in Massachusetts, The day I left her standing on her own.” Nope, I haven’t got a clue what that’s all about either but one thing I do know is that I am now in love with Massachusetts.
Well, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital to be precise, who have found that alcohol may lower the risk of heart disease because it leads to long-term reductions in stress signalling in the brain – in other words, it can reduce stress.
You see, it’s all about your amygdala, apparently. No fellas, that is not a new term for the vayjayjay or the punami, it is actually the part of the brain which responds to threats and the boffins found that it displayed fewer stress signals in drinkers than teetotallers.
The thing is, as we all know, red wine contains antioxidants, lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke, reduces the risk of diabetes-related diseases, helps avoid the formation of blood clots and lowers the level of bad cholesterol.
There is even evidence that a glass of red can equate to an hour of exercise as it contains something called resveratrol, which can help people who want to exercise but are physically incapable.
Resveratrol is also said to increase the concentration of the ACE2 protein (c’mon, you must have heard of that?), which is associated with a reduction in the severity of the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Yep, it means you can breathe more easily and everything.
But the Massachusetts study seems to go further by suggesting that ANY alcohol can help reduce the risk of heart disease…
Of course, there’s a catch and in this case it is the term “drinking in moderation” but we all know they have to say that otherwise the do-gooders will be all over them like a rash.
In my experience, once I have had a skinful, my amygdala is set free, the stress of the world evaporates, I can run like the wind and eat for England. If that isn’t the best advert for downing a few bevvies every night, I don’t know what is…
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