Step away from that six-pack! If you want to live longer, you might want to lose the microbrews and switch to merlot. A study from Denmark [1] finds that wine drinkers live longer and enjoy better health than beer drinkers, and it's not just because wine is high in anti-oxidants.

Researchers compared the dietary preferences and lifestyles of wine and beer drinkers, and found that people who drank only wine also made healthier food choices, filling their grocery carts with fruits, vegetables, leaner meats and low fat dairy products. Beer drinkers, on the other hand, tended to buy more processed and convenience foods such as chips, cold cuts, sausages and other fattier meats.

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, beer and chips are at the top of a lot of shopping lists. Will anyone be serving Chardonnay and crudités instead? How about a compromise, say, Pinot and pork rinds? Will keg parties turn into wine tastings? Kids could trade tips on FaceBook about how to buy Two Buck Chuck [2] without getting carded.

Class is clearly a factor; the researchers found the wine drinkers tended to be well-read and have successful careers as well as being more likely to maintain a fitness routine, and have fewer visits to the doctor. The beer drinkers were, on the whole, less educated and tended to drink more heavily as well as having a less healthy diet, adding up to overall poorer health.

So tell your beer drinkin' buddies to pass on the pilsner and go for the grape instead. Otherwise, you might outlive them, and who wants to drink alone?