Building a Better Brain. I’ll Drink To That.

A long time ago, in a lifetime far far away, I went to talk to someone with a concern about the shading of my teeth. The dentist said he had to ask me a couple of questions first.

Dentist: “Do you have drinks like, I dont’ know, coffee or wine”?

Me: “I don’t understand the question. There’s am, then pm, then am, then pm again. Of course there’s coffee, then wine, followed by coffee then wine, rinse and repeat!”

I was being silly at the time, but actually the funny thing about wine and coffee is not their effect on your pearly whites, but on your ability to build a better brain. Here is a lovely review on the subject, if you want to read more.

The bottom line is that a little wine (1-2/day, MAX, and that is 1-2 GLASSES, not BOTTLES … units are everything) turns out to be associated with better cognitive function, particularly for older folks. The effect is even stronger for coffee.

The key with both of these drinks is in the control. Coffee shouldn’t be consumed by the bucket, nor wine taken with a straw from a Big Gulp container from Sheets.

Remember, a little is good, a lot is not. Consuming out of control with either of these takes your brain (your cognitive abilities and memory) in exactly the opposite direction. So have the good stuff, from am to pm, but do it in control to get the benefits.