Is it wine, alcohol in general, or the social context of alcohol drinking that confers health benefits?

Kaarin J Anstey, Nicolas CherbuinCentre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, AustraliaIt is always good news when scientists identify popular lifestyle factors that enhance well being and healthy aging. The scientific findings relating to low levels of alcohol consumption have generally fallen into this category, with numerous research studies now demonstrating that light to moderate drinkers have reduced risk of a number of adverse health outcomes in observational studies.