Are the Health Benefits of Alcohol worth the Risk?

We've all heard the news about the potentialdamage than moderate consumption will do it good.
heart-health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.And they leave the impression that health benefits
It's no wonder such stories grab headlines. They're theapply to men and women alike. Not so.
nutritional equivalent of the classic media formula ofMost of the research regarding alcohol's effects in
"man bites dog." As for the rest of us, we celebrateraising good cholesterol, or HDL, levels looks at men
by raising a glass to our health.and post-menopausal women. Very little, if any,
But whenever I hear one of these reports, I wonderevidence suggests that alcohol consumption in younger
whether it actually ends up doing more harm thanwomen is beneficial. Even worse, other studies
good. Most fail to mention the health risks of excessiveassociate younger women's alcohol consumption with
alcohol consumption, which will do a body far moreincreased disease risk.