"Moderate Drinking May Lengthen Life

More Isn't Better -- Heavy Drinking Is a Hazard, Study Shows"

I'm totally serious. Here's the link: http://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nl.aspx?id=20270339&s=303&p=dietnut122606
The best part is the Italian version of "moderate."

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang
on Monday, December 11, 2006

Dec. 11, 2006 -- Moderate drinking may lengthen life, but heavy drinking raises the risk of death, Italian researchers say.

They define moderate drinking as two to four drinks a day for men; one to two drinks for women.

"Heavy" drinking is anything beyond that. Light drinking is greater than zero but below the moderate amounts.

The Italian study's definition of moderate drinking is higher than the typical U.S. standard of up to two daily drinks for men and one for women.

In the U.S., a standard drink is 12 ounces of regular beer, 8 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.

"Heavy drinkers should be urged to cut their consumption, but people who already regularly consume low to moderate amounts of alcohol should be encouraged to continue," write the researchers.

They included Augusto di Castelnuovo, ScD, of Catholic University in Campobasso, Italy.

Drinking Data

The researchers pooled data from 34 observational studies conducted in Europe, the U.S., Australia, Japan, and China.

The studies looked at more than 1 million people in total, with participants reporting their drinking habits.

The studies lasted from six to 26 years.

During that time, moderate drinkers were about 18% less likely to die of any cause than teetotalers and light drinkers.

Other observational studies have linked moderate drinking to heart benefits. The new Italian report covers deaths from all causes, not just heart-related deaths.

Heavy Drinking

Meanwhile, heavy drinkers were more likely to die of any cause, and the more they drank, the higher their risk of death.

That finding "confirms the hazards of excess drinking," write the researchers.

"Our data show that consumption of little amounts of alcohol leads to a reduction of mortality up to 18%," di Castelnuovo says in a news release.

"But after a certain number of glasses, things radically change," he notes.

People who drink too much increase their death risk "in relation to the amount of alcohol consumed," di Castelnuovo explains.

In short, if you're going to drink, don't overindulge. And, of course, don't drink and drive.

The researchers stop short of suggesting that teetotalers start drinking for health benefits or that light drinkers increase consumption.

They also caution that further studies are needed to check their findings.

This just in from Q! Chocolate is good for you! Again!

Chocolate can do good things for your heart, skin and brain
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/12/20/health.chocolate/index.html
By Marjorie Ingall
Health.com

Listen to the way people malign chocolate: Sinful! Decadent! To die for! There's even that popular restaurant dessert known as "Death by Chocolate." But is this any way to talk about a loved one -- especially during the season of comfort and joy?

Bite your tongue! Evidence is mounting that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you. Here's the latest about the healthy side of your chocolate habit and taste-tested advice on what to try. Merry munching.

A happier heart

Scientists at the Harvard University School of Public Health recently examined 136 studies on coco -- the foundation for chocolate -- and found it does seem to boost heart health, according to an article in the European journal Nutrition and Metabolism.

"Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow, less platelet stickiness and clotting, and improved bad cholesterol," says Mary B. Engler, Ph.D., a chocolate researcher and director of the Cardiovascular and Genomics Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. These benefits are the result of cocoa's antioxidant chemicals known as flavonoids, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation.

Better blood pressure

If yours is high, chocolate may help. Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, recently found that hypertensive people who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop significantly, according to an article in the journal Hypertension. Their bad cholesterol dropped, too.

People who ate the same amount of white chocolate? Nothing. (It doesn't have any cocoa -- or flavonoids.) Word to the wise: 3.5 ounces is roughly equal to a big bar of baking chocolate, so the participants had to cut about 400 calories out of their daily diets to make room. But you probably don't have to go to those lengths. Just a bite may do you good, Blumberg says.

Muscle magic

Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout. In a small study at Indiana University, elite cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who had some sports drinks. Yoo-hoo!

TLC for your skin

German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special extra-flavonoid-enriched cocoa every day. After three months, the women's skin was moister, smoother, and less scaly and red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The researchers think the flavonoids, which absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.

Brain gains

It sounds almost too good to be true, but preliminary research at West Virginia's Wheeling Jesuit University suggests chocolate may boost your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain. Chocolate companies found comparable gains in similar research on healthy young women and on elderly people.

Good loving (maybe)

Finally, Italian researchers wanted to know whether chocolate truly is an aphrodisiac. In a survey of 143 women published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, those who ate chocolate every day seemed to have more sex drive, better lubrication, and an easier time reaching orgasm. Pass the Godiva, right?

Not so fast. The women who ate chocolate were all younger than the ones who didn't; it was age and not chocolate that made the difference. Still, if a double-chocolate raspberry truffle puts you in the mood, why let science get in the way?

New York--based writer Marjorie Ingall loves milk chocolate but says she's ready to go dark this year

"The Most Incredible Knife"

http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/photogallery/article/0,20036,1145812_1304110,00.html. daN sent this to me today. It's rather incredible. It's the Swiss Army Knife with everything. Literally. It bears a stronger resemblance to a chainsaw.

What I've Been Up To Lately
Benchmarks version:
December 1st: our oven had a major gas leak and had to be turned off.
December 2nd: the technician who was scheduled to come never came and never called.
December 4th: daN and i went out to dinner at a restaurant called "Ten Tables" in Jamaica Plain. It was fantastic. Special occassion? Oh yes -- we were celebrating our SEVEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Wow. It was one of the most magical evenings of my life :)

December 5th: I flew down to New York City for a training on the program that we use at the Foundation to keep track of gifts made. I was there for four days, and I stayed at the Millenium Hilton Hotel, which it turns out is directly across the street from two holes in the ground that used to be a couple of World Trade Center Towers. As i remarked to my friend Q, it's a good thing i didn't know anyone who died in that -- otherwise, it would have been really depressing. However, it was a lovely hotel just the same -- great bathroom, incredibly comfortable beds, and the training itself for the computer program was extremely well done and worth my while. In the evenings, i caught up with old friends -- ONE of whom i hadn't seen for over seven years! SEVEN YEARS! It was so wonderful, and i can't wait to see her again someday. Flying hint: the Delta Shuttle is one of the chichi-est flights available. Complimentary everything, and i got several liquids through security with no problem. I'm pretty sure that people were calling each other "Muffy" and joking about their stretch SUV's. When i got off the flight, more than half of the people on the flight had coaches waiting for them... including me. It's good to be on a paid business trip for a wealthy company.

December 9th: came home, hung out. Got a Christmas tree with daN, and we decorated it!

December 10th: celebrated my 27th birthday with a small group of friends at a bar/restaurant we really like called "Christopher's." We had a lovely time.

December 13th: My birthday! The stove/oven technician FINALLY came! ... and brought parts for the wrong model number. Next available technician date: December 22nd. I broke down into tears. I love cooking. We have been living off salad, rice cakes, food that can be prepared in the microwave or toaster oven, and take-out. I was SO ready for the stove to be fixed after two weeks of that, only to find out that there were another 9 days to go. Still waiting, but we know that the right part came in the mail today.

December 14th: The Fidelity Company Holiday Party. MAN, do they know how to throw a good time! I saw The Fidelity Follies -- a short "play" where employees got to make fun of the CEO while he sat right there. And then I spent the rest of the night on the dance floor. My co-workers told me that my dancing was inspiring, and they loved to have me there! Ha! The band was great, the music was great, and the place didn't look like the Boston World Trade Center at all (that's where the party was held.) It was decorated as India, Japan, Canada, The UK, and the US, all the places around the world where Fidelity has offices. And it was so well done! It was amazing, and i'm already looking forward to next year's.

December 16th: Q's Christmas Shindig! I had a blast dancing my p-tooty off. Again.

December 17th: Our landlords tell us that they feel so terrible about the stove that they're going to reduce our rent for the month by 200 bucks. Sweet! Good month for it! I would have far preferred to have had a fully functioning stove and paid normal rent as usual, but hey! I REALLY appreciate it, and that's nice on the pocketbook.

December 19th: met Razz, daN, the Bogs and Kal-El for dinner at the Border Cafe in Harvard Square for a farewell goodbye session before Kal-El moves out to California :( I'm really going to miss him, but we had a great time all together.

December 20th: today. Christmas shopping is all but done, wrapping as well, and i'm honestly looking forward to going to Maine. We are most likely going to stay at the empty Bogdanove home, housesitting style, while they drive their son to the other coast. That means that we'll have one place to keep our suitcase, toiletries, PJ's, and one place to sleep. We'll still be bouncing around seeing people everywhere, but we won't be dragging our worldly belongings with us every time we enter and exit a domestic residence. It won't be such a production to go to and from people's houses, because we'll just have ourselves and presents. We're getting away from the fiasco of the last couple of years (most recent trips to Maine) where we had ourselves, presents, presents we'd already received, and our suitcases. Whew! AND, we'll have DOWN TIME! YEAH! I'm really looking forward to this. It's amazing what a difference that can make.

So, if i don't write again before Christmas, which i probably won't, Merry Christmas. That's what i celebrate. If you celebrate Chanukah, Happy Chanukah, too. May it be a relaxed and blessed time of year where you get to enjoy what it's really all about -- being with loved ones. I know I'll be enjoying it :)

It's Been a Little While.

So, i think i'll rip off an idea from Melissa McCue and share a list of things from the Thanksgiving weekend i'm grateful for:

Family so understanding of my inability to be in two places at the same time. Pumpkin pie. Being considered "part of the family" in so many families. Apple pie. The fact that Thanksgiving dinner is the easiest meal in America to eat vegetarian. Maine. The subtle colors of the Maine sky. Sheepies and their amusing bleats. The ocean. The blessings of having grown up at the edge of a continent where the sky, the earth, and the ocean all meet. Amazing friends. Amazing food. Great coffee. The fact that i can never go to the Second Read without seeing people i know and need to hug. Long walks in the country. Warm coats. Leashes so i can take doggies on walkies with me. The new Terry Pratchett book Wintersmith. Cuddling with daN. Knitting. Treadmills. Stef's chocolate meltaways. Cranberry sauce. Green bean casserole. A slightly smaller and more intimate Friendsgiving (37 this year instead of 52). The artistic talent of my grandmother Norene Bradford, and the blessings that have passed that on to my mother, my aunt, and myself. Places to sleep when we go to Maine. The bed that daN and i have waiting hear for us when we get home. Good suitcases. Humungus LLBean canvas bags. Getting to watch other humans enjoying moving their bodies around and doing yoga. Knowing that they credit me with getting them into it. Self indulgence. Self control. Zantac 75. Laptop computers. Richard Cheese. Water. Warmth. Philodendrons, Geraniums, Bamboo, Spider, Jade, and other plants that don't require water every day. Yoga mats. History. Comfort. Loving and being loved.

I had a wonderful time, and i'm not sure how to encapsulate it, but a general list of half-poetry-half-prose things from the weekend to be thankful for just about does it.

There were only two down-sides -- one being woken up in the middle of the night at one of the houses we were staying at by a screeching mouse staring at us from the bureau three feet from my head. It was smoking a cigarette and telling us to get the fuck out of its room or it would feed us to the fishes. The only other thing was the indigestion + car sickness that ='d pulling over in Brunswick to find a nice clean place to be sick in. And then the NH liquor store was out of Bailey's. Can you believe it.

Not bad though. Even full sentences of the few draw-backs cannot even begin to compare to the amount of sheer love that i bathed in all weekend. I am truly grateful.

Going to New York this Weekend!

Happy birthday to my friend Patty! I'm taking the Fung Wah bus (Chinatown-Chinatown) to New York for a lightening trip down there, coming back on Saturday night. Yay trip! YAY seeing Patty!

and Thanksgiving is soon!

Still Love My Job

Can you believe it? It's still going well! I'm very happy. This was my second week, and I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. I am actually going to be down in New York for a training on the database that we use to keep track of things, and that's a good sign -- a place that will actually pay for its employees to be trained on the systems it uses is likely a good place to work. And the people are so great. And it's in a really cool location -- some of the oldest buildings in the country are along my daily stroll during lunch.

But anyway, life has been busy. I won't say that i haven't missed having some time off during the daytime, because i have. That's when i used to do the majority of small errand-running and housework, and that time just isn't there anymore. The yoga schedule makes it tough, too. I think i will have to cut my schedule down to teaching one class a week and taking one class a week, because taking one and teaching two means that i'm only home on two evenings. And that's hard. In addition to everything else that needs to be done in life, i miss seeing daN!

But i'm happy.

Weekends have been busy, too. The weekend before last, we went up for a Halloween Party at Mark and Stef's in NH after going to a memorial service for Eric Schocket, one of my hampshire professors who died of lieukemia recently. It made for a funny day, but it was really nice to see everyone at the party, and our costumes went over great (I was a 1950's housewife, and daN was a milkman).

Last weekend, we bombed up to Maine and back to see Zak and Mandi in Chicago, and while the leads in the show were lacklustre and left something to be desired (Roxy couldn't sing and Velma was boring) the ensemble was fantastic. The vaudevillian style didn't leave a whole lot for the ensemble of lots of characters -- it's really just about one or two people. However, i still love the show, and found it greatly enjoyable and i'm glad we went. Seeing Zak and Mandi was a joy, as always, short though it was.

This weekend, we actually managed to stay pretty much in the same place. Friday night we curled up on the couch and watched "French Kiss" -- and older chick flic with Meg Ryan and Kevin Klein -- and went to bed. Yesterday was eventful -- i taught a yoga class at Harvard, then returned a couple of puffy winter coats that aren't going to work out. I've been on a crusade for a really warm yet not completely unattractive down coat. It's not easy. Afterewards, we met the Boggies in Harvard Square for drinks and dinner -- I got a delicious martini with Bombay Sapphire -- and then we went to the Bombay Club (our favorite Indian cuisine) for dinner. It was so delectable.

And now it's Sunday. I must go -- it's definitely time for us to clean this house. We have a list.

First Week on the Job

I STILL love it. I feel very lucky. Here is a huge group email that i sent out a couple days ago, proclaiming my joy. Yesterday, i was telling my co-workers how happy i am to be there, how i was actually a little sad it was Friday already because i have been having such a good time. They thought that was hillarious and great at the same time, and mentioned that it shouldn't take too long for Friday to be a welcome friend again. I agree, but it certainly felt nice to enjoy what i was doing all day. I get to read some fascinating things! They're also continuously telling me what a good job i'm doing, which is always nice to hear.

Email:
Hi there! Some of you I've been in better contact than others, and it's not for lack of want. But I've been incommunicado with just about everyone lately, and it's because I've had a lot going on. I've got a new job! And i'm REALLY EXCITED! I just started a new position on Monday as the Executive Secretary with the Sciences Team at the Fidelity Foundations. It's AMAZING. No, really. It is. It's day three, and i'm still not aware of how many benefits I have. It's a lot. But that's not the best part. The best part is what i'm doing and where i am. I will be reading grants proposals, processing them, and generally supporting a team of program directors who give money away to neurodegenerative disease research. It's a very small and lovely group of people -- all women on my floor (there are only four of us anyway), and we each have our own office. Mine's a corner office with lots of sunlight.

They love that i'm a yoga teacher in my spare time, and kicked me out of the office at 5:03 because it was important that i wasn't there "late" for the sake of it. How incredible is that?

On my first day, they welcomed me with open arms. Literally. They all gave me hugs and were so excited to have me. It was quite a welcome! I have gotten to know people very quickly, and I'm fitting in better than i could have hoped. And everything that could be bureaucratic is so easy! Helpdesk helps, there are designated IT people for each buildings, etc. It's so smooth -- a nice change! I'm learning so much already and am excited to go back in tomorrow.

Blah blah blah... anyway, i'm sure the honeymoon will end at some point, but i'm very excited and optimistic. I apologize for the huge group email, but there are so many of you i wanted to tell, this seemed the most expedient way to do it.