OF WINE AND WOMEN

Something to consider in your weight-loss regimen

Ladies, don't consider this an invitation to overindulge, but a new study finds that moderate amounts of alcohol, especially red wine, may help keep weight in check.

While it's generally agreed that red wine holds heart benefits, new research published in the latest issue of Archives of Internal Medicine shows positive findings between alcohol consumption by a normal-weight individual and the risk of becoming overweight.

Red wine seemed best at keeping weight in check, though white wine, beer and spirits also had some benefit, reported Reuters Health.

As always, it's up to the individual to discern which health studies, among the myriad findings out there, to believe and incorporate into one's lifestyle. But good news is better than bad news. We'll sip to that.

BANISH THE BLIGHT

Ocean pollution worse than we thought

That there's even more garbage floating around the Pacific Ocean than researchers previously estimated is dismaying, and should propel efforts large and small to stem the rising tide of trash.

We can all do our small part, by picking up debris along our shorelines, never throwing plastic overboard when at sea and pressuring the major polluters to change their ways. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a blight on the seascape that must be contained.