Last night I went to a wine and cheese get-together organized by the Lions Club. Since I was watching my blood sugar, I did not take any wine, except for a few sips to choose the best tasting wine out of three.

I did not take any wine because I thought wine was going to increase my blood glucose level. Today I learned that it does not, when taken in moderation. I learned that alcohol cannot be changed into glucose or blood sugar, and does not need insulin for metabolism. That is good news indeed, not that I drink a lot of wine, but when the occasion calls for it, I don't have to worry if I were to take a small glass of wine.

Recently, I read a study by Kaiser Permanente that indicated that breast cancer risk from drinking three or more alcoholic drinks a day is similar to the increased breast cancer risk from smoking a packet of cigarettes or more a day. The study also says that red wine, white wine, beer and hard liquor present the same risk.

I have read so many reports and studies about how red wine is good for the heart. This study by Kaiser Permanente seems to contradict the benefits of drinking red wine.

So should I or should I not drink any red wine?

I am not yet a diabetic but numerous studies in the last several years indicate that people who drink small amounts of wine are the people least likely to suffer diabetic complications. In a study published in 1990 it was said that, “Alcohol is known to induce low blood sugar.” This reducing of the blood sugar reduces the damage to blood vessels and thus has a beneficial effect.

That means it is safe to drink wine especially for me who has a family history of diabetes. A Danish study in 2000 called Copenhagen City Heart Study, has indicated that the use of moderate amounts of alcohol may prevent the onset of diabetes and so individuals who are drinking in moderation may not develop diabetes even if they have the genetic predisposition.

I do not have a family history of breast cancer, and weighing these two risks, I think it should be safe for me.

According to a University of Wisconsin study (JAMA Jul 99 Vol 282 No 3) , moderate consumption of alcohol a day reduces the risk of coronary heart disease in people with Type 2 diabetes by 80%.

Ok, that does it. I will not refrain from drinking red wine!

How often do you see a good looking man with a below average looking woman? Not often, right? Usually a good looking man is often seen with a beautiful woman. How about an average looking man with a beautiful woman? Quite often, right?

Someone said on the radio today, when you see a beautiful woman with an average looking man, or below average looking man, check the size of his bank balance! Heheh, seems this is very true in Malaysia! But studies show men usually go for looks whereas women are more discriminating and go beyond looks when looking for a mate.

Researchers led by Todd report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that their study found humans were similar to most other mammals, "following Darwin's principle of choosy females and competitive males, even if humans say something different."

Their study involved 26 men and 20 women in Munich, Germany.

Participants ranged in age from 26 to their early 40s and took part in "speed dating," short meetings of three to seven minutes in which people chat, then move on to meet another dater. Afterward, participants check off the people they'd like to meet again, and dates can be arranged between pairs who select one another.

Speed dating let researchers look at a lot of mate choices in a short time, Todd said.

In the study, participants were asked before the session to fill out a questionnaire about what they were looking for in a mate, listing such categories as wealth and status, family commitment, physical appearance, healthiness and attractiveness.

After the session, the researchers compared what the participants said they were looking for with the people they actually chose to ask for another date.

Men's choices did not reflect their stated preferences, the researchers concluded. Instead, men appeared to base their decisions mostly on the women's physical attractiveness.

The men also appeared to be much less choosy. Men tended to select nearly every woman above a certain minimum attractiveness threshold, Todd said.

Women's actual choices, like men's, did not reflect their stated preferences, but they made more discriminating choices, the researchers found.

The scientists said women were aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men, and adjusted their expectations to select the more desirable guys.

"Women made offers to men who had overall qualities that were on a par with the women's self-rated attractiveness. They didn't greatly overshoot their attractiveness," Todd said, "because part of the goal for women is to choose men who would stay with them"

But, he added, "they didn't go lower. They knew what they could get and aimed for that level."

Read the full story here.