Alcohol: are you a binger?

Warnings about excessive binge drinking abound but social drinkers' like to comfort themselves by claiming that wine may reduce the risk of heart disease.

The reality is that in 1997 the World Health Organisation concluded the risk was only reduced in people who only had one drink consumed every second day - and for regular drinkers alcohol undoubtedly increases the risk of heart disease.

The Institute of Alcohol Studies says alcohol causes 10 per cent of all ill health and premature death in Europe.

What's the answer?

Moderation - current medical advice shows men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day and women not more than two to three.

"Regularly" means drinking every day or most days of the week.

Consistently drinking more than these amounts risks damage to health. The danger increases the longer drinkers continue and the more they consume.

Different strengths oand sizes of drink can be confusing. As a guideline, a pint of bitter contains about two units while a glass of wine can be anything from 1.5 to three units.

Check out whether your drinking's within safe limits with a drinks quiz online at units.nhs.uk

Myth-guided

You do not need impractical levels of exercise to be healthy, according to Paul Clayton, chair of the forum on Food and Health at the Royal Society of Medicine.

He says benefits kick in from quite a low-level programme: moderate exercise three times per week for 20 minutes, at a rate that raises the heart rate by 30 per cent, makes you sweat and raise your breathing level.

That's enough to begin to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HD, (good) cholesterol, lower blood pressure and improve muscle tone. You may even lose weight!

What's the answer?

Women burn off more than 12,000 calories each year just by shopping, according to the latest UK research.

But if you want to protect your credit card, you'll be pleased to find out that running may be a more effective way to slow the effects of ageing.

Water: the stuff of life

We're all encouraged to drink two litres of water daily.

Headline by 2CR listener Pete Winner of the headline challenge on the Paul Bunker show

It's been argued that coffee and alcohol don't count as they act as a diuretic.

Too little may lead us to feel tired and struggling to concentrate, but excessive water intake can be dangerous.

There have been reports of people dying of water overdose, or hyponatremia, which occurs when water consumption dilutes vital salt and mineral levels in the body.

What's the answer

"As an absolute minimum we should aim for one litre a day," says kidney specialist Professor David Oliveira of St George's hospital, London.

"That figure's calculated on the basis that we lose about 100ml of water breathing out, 500ml sweating and another 500ml in urine."

While it's sensible to drink up to two litres a day, he says that food, especially fruit and vegetables, can provide around 20 per cent of our intake.

A cucumber has 96 per cent, a tomato 94 per cent while a plate of cooked pasta and grilled chicken has around 70 per cent.

Caffeine addicts could take cheer from a recent study which found that coffee drinkers had the same level of hydration as those who stuck to water.

Do ensure you remain hydrated while exercising. Aim for a quarter of a pint of fluid for every hour of exercise.

Salt: food of the gods?

We all know that eating too much of the white stuff is bad for us - but Britons are still eating too much, resulting in an estimated 14,000 premature deaths a year.

The Food Standards Agency found that adults are eating an average 8.6g of salt a day - 44 per cent more than the recommended daily level of 6g.

Eating too much can increase the risk of high blood pressure, which is linked to heart disease and strokes.

What's the answer?

Too much salt is bad news but we shouldn't cut it out completely.

Some sodium is needed for the body to function properly. It helps to regulate fluid balance and is needed for nerves and muscles to work.

Many of us are unaware how much salt we absorb daily in our food so always check the labels.

The FSA wants reductions and is calling for 85 types of food, including baked beans, crisps, pizzas and shop-bought sandwiches, to reduce their salt content.

11:15am Wednesday 20th August 2008

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