This is great news, perhaps if we drink 5 bottles a week our risk goes to a quarter and 10 bottles a week down to an eighth.

My money is on this research.

Nick Spanner, Neuchatel, Switzerland

Problems with this kind of research are:

Correlation is not causation. Moderate alcohol consumption and good health could both be promoted by third factors, such as general happiness, exercise, wealth, and being in control of one's life.

Some of the non-drinkers may have given up alcohol because they had heart problems or were overweight. In the same way, people who eat slimming foods tend to be overweight, but they are not overweight because they eat slimming foods.

The sample of people was ultimately self-selected and therefore NOT random.

The survey was based on what people said they did rather than objectively what they actually did.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

The active ingredient in wine is pleasure.

Pierre Bernardi, Paris, France

A couple of years ago while living in France I visited my doctor and was prescribed several medicines for a minor ailment. I asked him if I could drink with these. He asked me what I drank and I told him mainly red wine. His reply was ; "Oh, you must! You have to understand Monsieur, in France wine is not alcohol...!"

I don't see what business it is of anyone how much I drink, provided (and I agree this is important) it affects no-one else.

Peter, Birmingham, UK

Seems lack of exercise has a lot to do with it. The rest is a marketing plug from the wine industry. If it is so beneficial then the active ingredient should be found. You do not get banned from driving a car for lack of exercise. This article as most like it was probably composed after sampling too many of the wares, cheers!

Alan, Luton,

21/2 bottles each week. I get the impression that the writer must have shares in the wine industry. But I suppose if you think about it, it's not such a lot. It only means one glass per person each day, so drink up and live linger.

victor arram, westcliff on sea, essex

Benjemin India, There most definitely is such a thing as a moderate drinker ! just because you couldn't handle it don't judge others the same . Before & during my evening meal I have a medium glass of wine , this would be classed as two very small glasses. I never drink during the day or after dinner, because I don't want to, not because of any rule.
Wine is no different than any other addictive habit , if you have an addictive nature don't drink it.
I have done this for years , if I am out for dinner I do not like it when the host constantly 'tops up ' the glass it's an annoying habit & also not possible to keep track of quantity.
So many cynics commenting here I wonder if they are all recovering alcoholics ?

maggie Millington, Brittany, France.

just a lot of bull.there is no way alcohol can be good for health because there is no such thing as a moderate drinker. I being a non drinker since the past 15 years have practically seen the way drinkers go out of their way to explain how moderately they drink but in reality they do just the opposite.
wonder whether the abovementioned research has been funded by the wine industry!

benjamin alvares, mumbai, India

Danish people also (presumably) consume diets rich in fish (Omega 3's) and use wine more as a tonic against the chill...

Diet is key.

It reminds me of the study of Japanese people whose incidence of cancer was lower than that of Western societies (due to fish, soy and rice).

I'm sure that if Americans drank two and a half bottles of wine every week to wash down the McDonalds, we'd be keeling over from heart disease even more spectacularly than we are now.

Elan Durham, Santa Monica, US/CA

MichaelHV et al, the paper referenced is at
http://xrl.us/bd2wp (Link to item in eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org).

CC, Ireland,

What he really means is that the vineyard industry would be saved if everyone drank more.

tom, perth,

Is this another way of promoting alcohol.The good thing about this article is it just talks about heart.Well thought and decided not to discuss about liver. how can someone even think of recommending to drink??? disgusting...all our tax money spent on all stupid researches

John, glasgow, UK

Oh dear, someone's got my hopes up, only for them to be dashed when I read The Guardian's version of the story. That quotes moderate drinking as 14 UNITS of alcohol a week and notes that one 175ml glass of wine equates to 2.3 units. So, on that basis 14 units = 1.06l = 1.4 bottles of wine a week. Both stories can't be right!

Michael Hulme-Vickerstaff, Leeds,

In view of this perhaps wine - grapes - should be included as part of the Governments much lauded "five a day" programme.

Richard Garland , Greater Manchester,

I couldn't drink 2½ glasses a month let alone 2½ bottles a week.
Disgusting stuff!

Phill, The Wirral, England

It is a well known fact that when people are asked about their drinking habits they mostly estimate the quantity of drink consumed as fifty per cent of their real intake. This has been confirmed by an American study. So it seems you can drink twice as much as the above survey. Cheers!

George Sign, Nice, France