By Jennipher Walters
The health benefits of moderate drinking just keep adding up! A new study published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment says that having one alcoholic drink a day for women (or two a day for men) may help stave off memory problems and Alzheimer's disease .
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The new research examined the results of 143 other studies, looking at a total of 365,000 people from around the world. Overall, those who moderately drank were 23 percent less likely to develop memory problems or Alzheimer's disease. Although researchers aren't exactly sure why moderate drinking is so beneficial to our memories, they suspect that alcohol may have anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation in the brain is thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia. Inflammation has also been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes , rheumatoid arthritis and even some cancers, according to WebMD.
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Before you hit happy hour though, know that a standard drink equates to 1.5 ounces of spirits, 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer. Also know that when you drink too much alcohol, you may actually cause inflammation - the opposite of what you're going for. So be mindful of those serving sizes!
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