Moderate drinking of alcohol has often been considered a healthy habit, as it may help reduce the risk of heart disease and other illnesses.  "The French Paradox" is a long-running phenomenon notes that alcohol consumption in conjunction with high intakes of fruit and vegetables can lead to healthy lives.  The French diet is considered to be very high in fat, especially saturated fat, yet the death rate from coronary heart disease (CHD) remains relatively low.  The question here is does alcohol really have a healthy impact on people's lives?  My answer, and I am no scientist or doctor, would be no.  Alcohol, especially in excess, can damage the liver and can lead to lives that are not healthy or satisfying.  Alcohol in moderation, while it does not hurt the body, does not help either.  Maybe certain drinks like wine (which is very popular in France) may help issues associated with heart disease, but the effect is relatively minimal.  Rather, it is the lifestyles people lead that drink in moderation that causes them to live longer and healthier.  “Moderate drinkers tend to be socially advantaged in ways that have nothing to do with their drinking,” a CDC researcher who has studied the issue told the NYT. "They tend to be healthier, wealthier and get better health care."  Why are people who drink moderately more wealthy, healthier, and socially advantaged than those who drink in excess or who do not drink at all?  Well, the answer to the first part of the question seems obvious.  Those who are alcohol dependent do not tend to have good jobs and tend to lead unhealthy lives.  The second part of the question is more tricky.  Those who do not drink at all should be as healthy, wealthy, and socially advantaged.  The fact is, however, alcohol is part of our culture.  In social settings among adults, alcohol is usually always served.  Therefore, those who drink in moderation are probably more socially adept and are used to social situations.  Their social skills probably then help in the work place, and their good jobs can help afford them better health care.  That is really the only solution that I can figure.  I think that alcohol is an important part of our culture in American and in the world, but it is not a cure for diseases.  Although, the answer to this question is still not completely solved.  A Harvard doctor is assigning one half of a 150 person experimental group to drink plain Crystal Light while the other half is going to drink crystal light mixed in with a biit of alcohol.  The doctor will then see if alcohol really does reduce the threat of heart disease.  This is what gets me though about the experiment: is a dash of alcohol considered moderation? If it is then a lot of Americans drink more than "moderation."  My suspicion is that alcohol does not greatly help the reduce of heart diesase, and anyone who recommends someone start drinking to be healthier is making a ludricous claim.

Article contributed by www.healthplanone.com