Consumer Reports on Health makes two claims of potential medicinal benefits that motivate me to drink!
As background, Alzheimer’s has a strong genetic predisposition along my maternal genealogy, and it has become one of my mortal fears after my mother was ravaged by an early onset. I am not yet obsessed with it, but my personality indicators suggest it will become one as I age. Any content that relates to treating or delaying the onset guarantees at least perusal if not detailed reading.
In addition, the medication I take to control cholesterol – along with better diet and increased physical activity – is working well. My good cholesterol level (HDL), however, is lower than my physician advises. She hasn’t prescribed any medications to boost it yet, but her comments at my last checkup indicate that is likely in my future if it doesn’t improve. I prefer avoiding better health through modern chemistry if possible, so I’ve added some resistance exercises to my aerobic efforts. I dislike them even more than I despise the monotony of the treadmill.
Now two claims from a CR Health newsletter may provide an alternative:
- Drinking fruit juice at least three times per week may reduce the odds of developing dementia by 76%.
- For men, one or two alcoholic drinks per day tends to increase good cholesterol. (For women, the limit is one drink.)
One of my favorite cocktails is a Gombah Smash, as discovered at Cha Cha Coconuts in St. Petersburg, FL. That recipe is Midori, dark rum, and orange and pineapple juices. Based on the report that concoction will give me a fruit serving for the day, stave off dementia, and improve my cholesterol.
I essentially eliminated beer and booze from my diet when advised to lose weight. I haven’t lost as much fat as necessary because I eat sweets and overindulge on “comfort” food to deflect the blues, usually on weekends when I allow way too much time to brood versus doing anything. (The chief indulgence is ice cream. Followed closely by sheer volume of everything else.)
What more could a man desire? When I screw up and overindulge, at least in the short term I won’t suffer the pangs of guilt, and fruit juice tends to lessen the hangover consequences unless I get just plain stupid.