Moderate Drinkers Healthiest
A study by Michael French looked at 2002 data from a survey of U.S. households representing more than 31,000 adults.
The survey contained questions about alcohol consumption, health behaviors and chronic health conditions. Moderate drinking was defined as 4 to 14 drinks a week for men and 4 to 7 drinks a week for women.
The male participants who reported moderate drinking were 1.3 times more likely to report above-average health, compared with those who were lifetime abstainers and former light drinkers. The moderate drinking women were more than twice as likely as abstainers to report above-average health.