I'VE BEEN SEEING the same doctor for more than two decades. He is a wonderful doctor, a man without peer, save for one thing: He doesn't drink wine. And every year, when it's time for my physical, I wonder if he's waiting for some sort of proof that wine drinking is bad for my health. So far, we haven't had much to discuss; the results of my tests are always quite good. But I can't say I'm surprised. After all, there's a study published practically every day of the week on the benefits of wine with regard to everything from heart disease to diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis.

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