Ok, now this is a big one. The prestigious British Medical Journal validates our obsessions. Researchers from the University of Calgary sifted through dozens of articles about alcohol consumption and heart disease. They found that one drink a day for women, and two drinks a day for men significantly reduced biomarkers associated with heart disease. A biomarker of heart disease is something in the blood that is known to cause, or has been associated with, heart disease. In this case, regular consumption of alcohol raised HDL (good) cholesterol, adiponectin and reduced fibrinogen. There was no change for triglycerides nor C-reactive protein. Low levels of adiponectin have been associated with chronic inflammation, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Fibrinogen can make your blood thicker, more likely to clot and is generally bad for you.
The best part about this article was that all types of alcohol (wine, beer and spirits) were equally effective in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Truly the cheers today is "Prost!"