A new study has shown that a diet rich in beer, wine and chocolate reduces risk of dying early from heart disease by 20 percent, and from cancer by 13 percent.
The research, led by Professor Joanna Kaluza, from Poland's Warsaw University, found that people who enjoyed these treats - alongside a diet rich in fruit and vegetables - were a fifth less likely to die prematurely than those who ate a lot of red meat, drank fizzy drinks and consumed processed foods.
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The study of more than 68,000 participants, all aged between 45 to 83 years old, found those who had regular diets of anti-inflammatory foods were 18 percent less likely to die over the next 16 years than those who didn't.
"It is known that fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine, beer and chocolate are rich in antioxidants," Prof Kaluza told Metro.
"Adherence to a diet with high anti-inflammatory potential may reduce all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality and prolong survival time, especially among current and former smokers."
While there was even benefit for smokers on the diet, non-smokers who followed the diet were predicted to live nearly five years longer than smokers who didn't.
In addition to fruit and vegetables, anti-inflammatory foods include things like wholegrain bread, low-fat cheese, olive and canola oil and nuts - as well as beer, wine and chocolate.
Prof Kaluza also said that including wine and beer in the index may be considered controversial based on ongoing debates regarding the relationship between alcohol intake and mortality.
She said it was worth noting that participants in the study were men and women who drank "relatively low to moderate" levels of alcohol.
Newshub.
