A number of studies suggest that light alcohol consumption may help to promote extended good health:

Researchers from the University of California/Los Angeles (UCLA; California, USA) analyzed data from 4.276 men and women, ages 50+, enrolled in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study. After a five-year follow-up period, healthy moderate drinkers were at a 17.7% chance of becoming disabled or dying within 5 years, as compared with 26.7% for those who did not drink at all, and 21.4% for heavy drinkers. In addition, healthy older study subjects who drank moderately also experienced a 3 to 8% reduction in the odds of developing a disability with each additional drink per week (up to 9 drinks for women, 15 for men). A team from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (California, USA) assessed data collected on 12,519 men and women, ages 55-plus, participating in the Health and Retirement Study. The team followed the subjects for 4 years and found that moderate alcohol consumption, defined as one alcoholic drink a day, was associated with a 28% reduction in the risk of death (as compared to the subjects who did not imbibe).

Wageningen University (The Netherlands) researchers studied 1,373 Danish men and found that a half-glass of wine a day increased life expectancy by five years. In the study, the majority of the wine consumed was red wine.

If you choose to drink, have only a limited (or moderate) amount. This means:
• No more than 1 drink a day for women
• No more than 2 drinks a day for men
Where one drink is a:
• Bottle of beer (12 ounces)
• Glass of wine (5 ounces)
• Shot of liquor (1.5 ounces)

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