Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol every day does not - as once thought - protect against death from heart disease, nor does it contribute to a longer life, according to a sweeping new analysis of alcohol research.
The review, which examined existing research on the health and drinking habits of nearly 5 million people, is one of the largest studies to debunk the widely held belief that moderate drinking of wine or other alcoholic beverages is good for you. Last year, researchers in Britain examined genetic and medical data of nearly 400,000 people and concluded that even low alcohol intake was associated with increased risk of disease.