The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2018

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4  /  the tasting panel  /  june 2018 I was sitting and staring at a blank computer screen while trying to decide what to write about this month when I suddenly received an email that solved my dilemma. It contained an announcement of a brand-new study from the American Heart Association's Circulation journal naming moderate alcohol consumption as one of five healthy lifestyle behaviors that could help people live longer. Here's the full story, courtesy of the Distilled Spirits Council: "According to the study, 'Impact of Health Lifestyle Factors on Life Expectancies in the U.S. Population,' the five lifestyle behaviors were: having never smoked, a healthy body mass index, moderate to vigorous exercise, moderate alcohol intake and a healthy diet. Each was 'associated with a low risk of premature mortality' and 'following all five lifestyle behaviors significantly improved longevity for both men and women.'" So, I've got one, maybe two, of those behaviors down. But this is not about me. Sticking to these five "low-risk lifestyle-related" behaviors, researchers found, might extend life expectancy for a 50-year-old woman by 14 years; for a man of the same age, it's 12.2 years. This is in comparison to people who don't adopt any of the five low-risk lifestyle factors—you know, like your overweight uncle Dexter. Just for clarification, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a nutritional resource published every five years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, defines "moderation" as up to one drink per day for women and up to two daily for men (this only applies, of course, to adults of legal drink- ing age). According to the Dietary Guidelines, a drink- equivalent is characterized as 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (40% ABV), 12 fluid ounces of regular beer (5% ABV), or 5 fluid ounces of wine (12% ABV). I don't know about you, but I will be monitoring my intake and measuring my daily consumption more pre- cisely than I was before that email first graced my inbox. We can't all be perfect, but awareness is often the first step toward implementing healthier habits that can benefit us for years to come. Everything in Moderation LETTER FROM THE EDITOR PHOTO: JEREMY BALL

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