'Little and often' may help older men live longer

New research has helped answer the question: when is drinking good for you? Ever since the first evidence that alcohol helped protect against heart disease, there has been some confusion with some men caning the beer for so-called 'medicinal purposes'.

At Queen's Univeristy, Belfast, they have addressed the question that has long irritated the Brits: why do the French appear to drink so much yet live so long?

Professor Alan Evans and his team compared drinkers in their fifties from Northern Ireland and France. The French men tend to spread their consumption steadily across the week while the Northern Irish men tended to 'binge' - 60% of their alcohol was drunk at thew week-end. This resulted in higher blood pressure and a greater risk of heart attack during the week as their bodies recovered. The French men had lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

Meanwhile at the Centre for Alcohol Research in Copenhagen, a study of 57,000 people aged 55-65 found that men who drank moderately - 14-20 units of alcohol a week - lived on average several years longer than heavier drinkers and those who did not drink at all.

Red wine is the best bet - one 175ml glass equals two units. But don't binge - even at Christmas. Also note that this benefit is for older men (over 45) only. Sorry, lads.