A study that began in the 1960s confirmed that moderate daily consumption of alcohol, particularly red wine, is beneficial to health.
The study conducted at Wageningen University in Holland demonstrated that men who consumed an average of 0.7 ounces of alcohol per day, which is about half a glass, had a five-year greater life expectancy than those who never consumed alcohol.
Martinette Streppel, the author of the study, revealed that data recorded over 40 years, following up on the 1,373 original participants, is noteworthy for several reasons. "The main strength of our study was the collection of detailed information on the consumption of different alcohol beverages at each of seven measurement rounds," Streppel said.
From 1960 to 2000, researchers studied participants, recording information including weight, diet, smoking, diagnosis of serious illnesses and other data, in parallel to alcohol consumption.
Streppel could not affirm, however, if the results also apply to women, but suspects that the polyphenols properties found in red wine are beneficial to the heart, in that they reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease.