CNN reported Dec. 2 that a study by Rod Jackson and colleagues from the University of Auckland in New Zealand concluded that "coronary protection from light to moderate drinking will be very small."

The researchers said that heavy drinkers may get the greatest coronary benefits from drinking -- studies of dead alcoholics found that many had clear arteries -- but at great cost to their health otherwise.

A number of studies, starting in the 1970s, have pointed to heart benefits from moderate drinking. But Jackson questioned the validity of the nonrandomized research, saying possible mitigating factors were not considered.

"While moderate to heavy drinking is probably coronary-protective, any benefit will be overwhelmed by the known harms," the study said. "If so, the public health message is clear. Do not assume there is a window in which the health benefits of alcohol are greater than the harms -- there is probably no free lunch."

The research appears in the Dec. 5, 2005 issue of the journal The Lancet.

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