Few days ago, while watching TV, I noticed one French man of 98 years, if I would have been there; I would have asked the secret of his longevity.  Just then, one of my friends out of the blues said, �He must been drinking wine everyday�. He even told French often say, �Water is for ducks.� Most people in France drink a glass of wine with lunch instead of water. And I witnessed it myself in my trip to France last year.

At the moment French women have one of the longest life expectancies in the world. It�s called the �French Paradox.� The French almost always eat eggs, butter and cheese and still have a low rate of heart disease because they also drink wine, specifically red wine. The antioxidants in red wine, when it is consumed in moderation, have been found to reduce blood clots and �bad� cholesterol production. Wine also is good for the circulatory system, and it slows the body�s aging.

According to a study by experts at Brigham and Women�s Hospital in Boston, suggesting that women who drink a moderate amount of alcohol daily-especially red wine-are less likely to pack on the pounds in midlife than women who drink occasionally, or don�t drink at all. The study, which followed 20,000 women over a period of 13 years, represents some of the most comprehensive findings on the impact of alcohol on weight.

Is wine the only �slimming alcohol�? No, but it seems to be the most beneficial one. Though researchers found that women who drink any type of alcohol in moderation tend to be slimmer than nondrinkers-they found the strongest association between relative slenderness and vino consumption.What�s a �moderate� amount of wine? A lot less than you probably think. The study defined �moderate� as one 125-calorie, 5-ounce serving daily-about half what you�ll find in a single typical restaurant pour.

How much lighter than average were the wine-drinkers? The imbibers managed to maintain a weight that was, on average, around 4.5 lbs less than the nondrinkers�-statistically significant, but not noteworthy enough, it seems, for wine manufacturers to start touting vino as the newest diet craze. Somewhat confusingly, the more the women drank, the slimmer they stayed-a �curious� finding that researchers say warrants �further investigation.�

Why do researchers think wine keeps women slim? They�re not entirely sure, but plenty of theories are being floated, ranging from the obvious-the notion that wine drinkers find �liquid dinners� sufficiently satisfying, ultimately ingesting fewer calories-to the intriguing: Resveratrol, a chemical compound found in grape skins and renowned for its anti-aging properties, might also have �anti-obesity properties.�

Were results similar with male research subjects? It doesn�t look like it. While this study focused on women, other studies show that male drinkers pack on the pounds just as quickly as their nondrinking counterparts. Some scientists hypothesize that, unlike women, men drink alcohol on top of their daily food intake, while others believe that men metabolize booze differently.

Does moderate alcohol consumption have other health benefits? Other studies have suggested that a light drinking habit helps the heart, reduces the risk of age-related mental illness like dementia, and may even reduce the likelihood of depression.

But surely women shouldn�t start drinking to stay slim? This is a study, not advice. �If the message is that by drinking some alcohol you�re going to lose weight, that�s a potentially complicated and dangerous message,� warns Dr. James C. Garbutt, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina�s Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.

Even The ancient Greeks and Romans were aware of wine�s healthful properties. They used it as a disinfectant, a wound dressing, a diuretic, and an analgesic. We know now that it also helps prevent coronary disease and cancer and reduces ulcer-causing bacteria. Wine is a mild tranquilizer that can lower tension and anxiety. This marvel even helps keep legs healthy.

Too much wine, though, is definitely detrimental. To realize wine�s health benefits, we must apply the the basic yet the most important rule of moderation. Which leads to this problem: How can you enjoy just a glass or two? How do you keep wine�s benefits and avoid its drawbacks? Take pleasure in wine, but always drink in moderation, and make sure with the right food.

It�s easy to be seduced by the pleasure of drinking wine. It helps you relax and puts you in a good mood. Wine definitely promotes gracious living since la joie de vivre �The Joy of Living� for most people comes through social eating and drinking. Plus, there�s the pleasure of looking at the color in the glass, smelling the wine, sipping it, and enjoying its wonderful aftertaste.

The key to this enjoyment is moderation, but what�s the right amount for you? The best rule is not to consume more than a glass or two a day, depending on your size, age, and gender. And even large men shouldn�t be drinking more than two or three glasses a day. (Okay-the occasional pleasure of a bit more won�t kill you, but it�s still not part of a healthful lifestyle).

Just because a glass or two a day is beneficial doesn�t mean 56 ounces a week would be good for you, most especially if you consume those ounces over the course of a weekend. Many people abstain all week only to imbibe their weekly dose at a meal or two. Beyond intoxication, drinking too much wine can damage the liver, increase blood pressure, and weaken the heart muscle.

Here�s how I ensure moderation when I�m dining at home. I know it very well that after my first or second glass, it can be deliciously simple or I will be tempted to pour a third or fourth. So I first bought some half bottles (375 milliliters), and after I drank them, I kept the empty bottles and cleaned them properly. Now whenever I open a new bottle of wine for dinner, I immediately pour half the contents into an empty half bottle and quickly cork it. The wine sees air for perhaps 15 seconds. Recapped and usually refrigerated, it will last in top form for days, weeks, and even months. A half bottle of wine equals about three full glasses, and what I do is I divide it for two dinners if I�m drinking alone.

You should never fill your glass more than two-thirds full: To taste wine properly, you need room to swirl it, exposing it to the air to soften it. Plus, the empty part of the glass is what holds in the bouquet. I pour half glass at dinner, and then enjoy two refills from the same half bottle. It is amazing how easy it is to fool ourselves. Three pours are far more psychologically fulfilling than one single pour in a large glass.

At a dinner party sometimes back, a lady just beside my table said she drank vodka, not wine, because it has fewer calories. Let me clear you, this perception totally wrong. A shot of vodka (or any 80-proof distilled beverage) is about equal in alcohol and calories to a four-ounce glass of wine (that too if you do not add any sugary flavorful beverages to it).

I am not such a calorie counter, if you will see me, you will know it at a glance itself. But I love dealing in equivalencies. A glass of wine is equal to a medium apple or a slice of bread. So consider that glass to be another item of food. If you�re at a restaurant and want to watch your waist, skip the second piece of bread, take the wine. It�s healthier.

Skip the bread but make sure to have something like a bite of cheese or few nuts. This slows the absorption process. Current medical wisdom suggests that a glass of wine per hour on a full stomach is beneficial, so if you�re at one of those three-hour celebratory meals, an occasional second or third glass is fine.

Wine opens your appetite, complements a meal, allows you to savor your dishes (and in the process, limits your consumption). No satisfaction is more elemental and vital to well-being than the pleasure we seek in what we eat. And the pairing of food and wine can create just such a pleasure.

So when you raise a wine glass, remember pleasure, moderation, and food, and you will give true meaning to the traditional toast �to your health.�