© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Drinking, booze, alcohol
(New York, NY) – New research aims to explain why a small amount of alcohol has benefits on the heart. Scientists previously thought this involved changes made in the blood, but now it seems the impact is actually made in people’s brains – by reducing stress.
The study from the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital notes that alcohol raises cancer risk, so it’s still not officially recommended by medical science. And in reality, things like exercise, meditation, and gardening may help reduce stress as well.
The researchers say the relaxing feeling associated with alcohol before getting drunk is key. Going any further likely reduces any benefit entirely. But past studies have said people who drink occasionally are at a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, in comparison to people who never drink.
