Is Wine The Secret To A Long Life? This 100-Year-Old Woman Thinks So

If you want to live long enough to celebrate 100 years, then you might want to up your wine intake. According to Bangor, Maine resident Florence Bearse, the reason she’s lived so long is thanks to her wine. Maybe she’s onto something.

  1. Wine drinkers live longer than beer drinkers. Florence may have been half in the bag on her birthday thanks to all that wine, but a 2007 study out of Finland found that when compared to those who drink beer or alcohol, wine drinkers have a 34% lower mortality rate. Basically, martinis are great and all, but they’re not going to help you get to 100, if that’s your aim.
  2. It’s great for the heart. Multiple studies have found that drinking red wine in moderation is fantastic for heart health. Not only does it help stave off heart disease, but reduces the risk of heart attacks. In fact, France, which is in the top five countries for wine consumption, has the lowest rate of heart disease in the world. It’s assumed that the red wine is a nice counterbalance to all that cheese, butter, and cigarette smoking. So, yes, wine keeps you alive.
  3. It makes you more attractive. If you’re thinking how the hell does being more attractive make one live longer, allow me to explain. According to a study from earlier this year, people are more attractive when they drink red wine, most notably pinot noir. When you’re attractive and you know it, you’re more confident, therefore making you more likely to find yourself a partner. While having a partner isn’t exactly the most important thing in the world, studies have found that married people live longer.
  4. It can help prevent strokes. A stroke is caused by a blood clot. Blood clots are the result of blood that’s pooled in one area and thickened. Wine is known to keep blood moving along the way as it should, therefore reducing risks of blood clots anywhere in the body, as well as keeping risks of strokes down.
  5. It can keep your weight in check. Wine, red wine especially, can help you drop a few pounds for two reasons. Number one, there’s a chemical in red wine that helps you burn fat, as long as you drink it with your meal. Secondly, while drinking water with a meal keeps what you consume stagnant and not processing through the body, wine pushes it along. Wine in moderation at meals just might be what separates Americans and Europeans in regards to weight-related issues.
  6. It lowers blood sugar. In keeping with the wine versus water thing during a meal, a 2015 study out of Israel found that people who drink wine with their meals have lower glucose levels. What this means is that wine can help kick those Type 2 diabetes risks to the curb.
  7. You’ll sleep better. A well-rested body and mind is a body and mind that’s going to far outlive everyone else who didn’t sleep enough. Not that we need studies to confirm this, but drinking wine helps you sleep better and deeper, as long as you keep it moderate. If you get drunk, then you’ll struggle to sleep.
  8. It helps you get sick less. While the common cold isn’t exactly something to worry about in your 20s and 30s, as you get older a common cold can be a problem. Good thing we have wine! A Spanish study found that people who regularly drink wine have a lowered risk of contracting colds and flus by 40 percent. That’s almost 50 percent! I mean, not exactly definitely pretty damn close!
  9. It can prevent depression in your old age. Nothing says things totally suck like getting old but apparently, wine can help that too. For those over 55 years of age, wine is exactly what they need to turn that frown upside down and actually be excited about life. All it takes is two glasses a week minimum—which, I imagine, isn’t much of a problem for many people out there.
  10. It keeps your sharp AF. It doesn’t matter how many times you hear that alcohol kills brain cells, research has found this to be totally untrue, at least in regards to wine. Researchers found that drinking red wine regularly cuts a person’s chance of dementia by a considerable amount and can also prolong the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. Elderly people with dementia are more prone to fatalities than their counterparts who don’t have dementia, for all obvious reasons.
  11. It protects against cancers. Although it doesn’t protect against all cancers, there are certain cancers that wine fights against. In particular, prostate and colon cancers benefit from wine consumption.
  12. It’s good for your teeth. You might be surprised to know that your dental hygiene is very much connected to your heart. Gum disease can cause heart disease or a rotted tooth can become so infected that it can kill you. Wine, with all its antibacterial properties, means fewer cavities, therefore lowering your chances of death because you were lazy about your dental hygiene. Although I strongly suggest you floss and brush regularly, in addition to drinking all that wine.
Amanda Chatel is a sexual health, mental health, and wellness journalist with more than a decade of experience. Her work has been featured in Shape, Glamour, SELF, Harper's Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Elle, Mic, Men's Health and Bustle, where she was a lifestyle writer for seven years. In 2019, The League included Amanda in their "15 Inspirational Feminists Every Single Person Should Follow on Twitter" list.

Amanda has a bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of New Hampshire. She divides her time between NYC, Paris, and Barcelona.

You can follow her on Instagram @la_chatel or on Twitter @angrychatel.
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