Live longer with an occasional drink: Study

Older adults who consume one to seven alcoholic beverages a week may live longer with reduced risk of cardiac ailments than those who do not drink, according to a latest study.

The study, by a team led by Cinzia Maraldi of the University of Florida, showed that when compared with teetotallers or occasional drinkers, those who drank lightly to moderately had a 26 percent lower risk of death over all and an almost 30 percent lower risk of cardiac events.

The findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

It has also found that light to moderate alcohol intake reduces levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, compounds that circulate in the blood due to inflammation.