HOW COCKTAILS BOOST WELL-BEING

Rev metabolism

Alcohol stimulates thermogenesis, a heat-producing process in the body that can increase calorie burn by 27 percent for up to 90 minutes. The payoff: Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that sipping a cocktail or two daily can reduce the risk of weight gain by up to 70 percent.

Sharpen thinking

An occasional cocktail keeps you on your A-game, thanks to alcohol’s ability to promote the generation of new neurons. In fact, research in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias found that people who regularly imbibe have up to 10 percent more volume in their hippocampus (the area of the brain critical for memory) and perform 15 percent better on recall tests than teetotalers.

Ease aches and pains

Anti-inflammatory compounds in alcohol neutralize the proteins that trigger joint soreness and swelling. In a study in the journal Rheumatology, this effect helped rheumatoid arthritis patients who drank three cocktails a week reduce their aches and pains by 30 percent.