Question of the Week: Will You Drink More Red Wine If It Is Shown To Extend Life?

We've read before that red wine has lots of good things for us. Now, researchers say red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan. The most recent news about red wine grew out of the search for longevity drugs. The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Studies tested the equivalent of 100 bottles of red wine a day on mice. It extended the lives of the rodents; no word if they had more fun, too.
Would you drink more wine - or take resveratrol in pill form - with hopes it would extend your life? (An aside: my brother and I discuss the desire many people have to live long lives. Who, we wonder, is going to support us? Will we have to work into our 80s or 90s or even longer?)

Question of the Week: Will You Cut Out Organic Food, To Cut Back On Expenses?

A recent series of stories on NPR covered how Americans are cutting back, because of the cost of gas, food, and as the effect of the mortgage loan crisis spreads. Those hit hardest, of course, are people with low or fixed incomes.

But a woman many of us would envy - owner of two houses, both paid for - told the reporter that her 'ah ha!' moment came when shopping at Whole Foods. It was a place she shopped frequently, but a quick trip to buy just a few things had cost more than $130, and reality set in when she realized she hadn't come away with even three meals. She told a reporter that she decided to make some sacrifices, starting with one of the things she loved most: organic food. "I won't buy it right now; it's too expensive," she says.

Will you cut back on buying organic food, as a way to save money? What other changes are you making? (I have cut back on getting coffee at Tullys or Starbucks, and on bottled water. I'm also watching how many restaurant meals I have each week, and I'm keeping a journal to see exactly what I spend in all areas of my life.)