Below The Beltway

It may help you live longer:
Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.
The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Some scientists […]

Apparently, moderate alcohol use is good for your heart:
Middle-aged non-drinkers can quickly reduce their risk of heart disease by introducing a daily tipple to their diet, South Carolina researchers say.
New moderate drinkers were 38% less likely to develop heart disease than those who stayed tee-total, a four-year study involving 7,500 people found.
Those who drank only […]

Finally, some medical advice I can get behind:
LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking is healthy, exercise is healthy, and doing a little of both is even healthier, Danish researchers reported on Wednesday.
People […]

Today’s New York Times reports that moderate alcohol consumption may help ward off the virus that causes the common cold:
It’s not difficult to see how mild inebriation might have the potential to relieve cold and flu symptoms, but so far no study has shown that alcohol has the ability to kill germs in the bloodstream […]

In the fifth part of his Ron Paul: Unplugged series, John Stossel talks to the the Texas Congressman and Medical Doctor about health care:
“We’ve had the government involved in our medical care system since the early ’70s, we’ve had managed care. And all of a sudden, nobody’s happy with it,” Paul said in our interview.
Paul […]

You’ve gotta wonder what the drug warriors will say about this one:
A compound found in cannabis may stop breast cancer spreading throughout the body, US scientists believe.
The California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute team are hopeful that cannabidiol or CBD could be a non-toxic alternative to chemotherapy.
Unlike cannabis, CBD does not have any psychoactive properties […]

Apparently, moderate alcohol use doesn’t kill your brain after all:
Neuroscientists say a recent report indicates moderate drinking may have a positive effect on the health of a person’s brain.
Some of the world’s top neuroscientists are meeting in Cairns, in far north Queensland, to discuss ground-breaking research that shows brain cells continue to grow throughout our […]

It turns out that there’s more evidence that moderate drinking may be good for you:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Men with high blood pressure are usually advised to avoid alcohol, but U.S. and Dutch researchers said Tuesday that a drink or two every day may reduce their chances of a heart attack.
The study of 11,000 men supports […]

It seems that drinking alcohol may extend your life:
Moderate drinking may lengthen your life, while too much may shorten it, researchers from Italy report. Their conclusion is based on pooled data from 34 large studies involving more than 1 million people and 94,000 deaths.
According to the data, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol ? up […]

Apparently, the scientists don’t know either:
LONDON — Earlier this year, bird flu panic was in full swing: The French feared for their foie gras, the Swiss locked their chickens indoors, and Americans enlisted prison inmates in Alaska to help spot infected wild birds.
The H5N1 virus _ previously confined to Southeast Asia _ was striking birds […]