The connection between moderate drinking and avoiding heart disease is pretty much old news to most of us at this point. But now, experts are saying that those of us who have 1-2 drinks a few times a week are less likely to become obese than non drinkers. Finally! A Weight Loss "Do and Don't" that we can have some fun with! Not too much fun though. Those of us who consume 4 or more drinks daily are a whopping 46% more likely to be obese, research says. The connection between moderate drinking and avoiding heart disease is pretty much old news to most of us at this point. This new information was based on a study of over 8,000 people conducted by Dr. James Rohrer of the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Ahmed Arif, from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. "We don't want to give people the wrong impression"...says Rohrer..."We certainly don't want to recommend that nondrinkers become drinkers just to control their weight". If you're a non-drinker---don't panic. The odds for moderate drinkers are only .73% better than nondrinkers for staying thin. The main message here is that a few drinks consumed socially isn't anything to worry about if that's your M.O. Some experts don't completely agree with these findings. Dr. David L. Katz, Director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, says that the slight reduciton in obesity risk may very well be attributed to additional healthy behaviors unrelated to drinking. "Many health-conscious people have a daily drink because of the widely touted health benefits; it may be a constellation of behaviors in such people that lead to weight control"...says Katz..."This would produce the appearance of a weight-control benefit from moderate drinking, but it would be illusory." Well here's my 2 cents on the matter: As mentioned above, I feel that the primary takeaway from this research is that responsible, moderate drinkers need not be alarmed at the implications of drinking on their weight loss. Though the overall trend presented here makes sense to me, I am a slight bit skeptical of the percentages given for risk levels. My suspiscion comes from the fact that body mass index, or BMI, was used as a measure of obesity. As I mention in my program, BMI is not the best determination of true obesity. Its measurements, though useful, are not accurate enough to be followed to the letter---certainly not for coming up with percentages in a medical research study. So if you choose to drink, do it moderately and responsibly. And if you don't choose to do so, that's o.k. too. WHATEVER you choose to do, make sure you're eating right and exercising daily! To YourBestBody, Lawrence Cole Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach http://www.yourbestbodynow.com
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