I was reflecting on why people have a hard time accepting the scientifically proven fat that moderate drinking is healthy, and remember a book I read on the plane, called Wheat Belly. The book advocates giving up modern, genetically modified wheat from the dwarf wheat plant, as the worst carbohydrate known to man. The books talks a lot about the biochemistry of nutrition, explaining processes such as glycation, and I am out of my depth to understand the explanation and determine whether they are correct. Still, I would not argue with the simple fact that the GI, or glycemic index, of whole wheat is HIGHER than that of... table sugar. In other words, the most decadent dessert is less bad for our health than the virtuous, supposedly healthy, fiber-rich whole wheat bread. This is clearly a novel idea because we are used to associate guilty pleasures with ill health consequences. But according to the author of the book, a cardiologist, the worst thing is what is at the very base of the USDA food pyramid.

Women who drink coffee have fewer strokes. In both genders coffee consumption is associated. With less Diabetes type 2. Less and easier Parkinson's with more coffee. Again, causation is not clear but correlation is. Some of the benefits of coffee are thought to be due to its antioxidant conten and some, due to caffeine.

What is a common factor of coffee, sex, and moderate alcohol consumtion is that most people find them pleasant yet they are goood for you.