The
findings from two new lifestyle studies might make you think twice about how
you spend your time and energy and what you drink.
The
first study, found in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network
Open, serves up some disappointing news for those who enjoy a glass of wine or
another alcoholic beverage each day.
It's
one of the largest studies to "debunk" the long-held belief that
moderate drinking is good for you.
Specifically,
the research shows drinking moderate amounts of alcohol every day does not
protect against death from heart disease and, moderate drinking does not
contribute to a longer life either.
The
study examined existing research on the health and drinking habits of nearly 5
million people to find even drinking relatively low levels of alcohol increased
the risk of death – that’s less than 1 ounce a day for women and about 1.5
ounces per day for men.
The
second study found that steady friendships may help your physiological health.
The
study, found in the Journal Society for Personality and Social Psychology,
discovered positive social experiences improve a person's stress level and
ability to cope, and also impact markers of physical health.
However,
they also found that social relationships that bounce between good and bad can
often be unhelpful when there is a lot of volatility, researchers found the
negative experiences had a bigger impact on a person than the positive.