The results of this study indicate that moderate alcohol intake can boost the immune system. Still, you should be careful, as in higher quantities, alcohol can lead to severe health damage. Ilhem Messaoudi, the lead author of the new study, claimed that in case you have a family history of alcohol abuse, or are in any way at risk, the study is not recommending you to drink to improve your immunity.
Still, for the average person, having a glass of wine at dinner can be beneficial to improve health and cardiovascular function, as several studies have revealed so far. The new research only comes to add the immune system boost on the list of these benefits.
To be able to reach these results, researchers have used as subject monkeys, who have a comparable immune system to the one of humans. The 12 trained moneys were all vaccinated against small pox. While some of the subjects drank no alcohol, other drank in moderation, while some were heavy drinkers. After the alcohol exposure, the subjects showed a different reaction to the vaccine. Monkeys with moderate alcohol exposure had better response to the vaccination, compared to the other two groups.
Some studies performed until now indicated that alcohol consumption with moderation is not only safe, but it can have numerous health benefits. Still, the debate is more complex, as other studies have revealed that alcohol intake, even if moderate, can increase the risk of suffering from various diseases. Are you a moderate drinker?
