The benefits and health risks of beer and wine

(BostonGlobe) - More than a few baby boomers imbibed too much during their misspent youth, leaving them with a lifelong apprehension of what can come from drinking alcohol.

But a raft of medical studies over the past generation shows that alcohol has proven health benefits, provided you drink in moderation — one or two drinks a day, three or four days a week. Many doctors say the findings are no longer in doubt, even if some boomers with long memories continue to be skeptical.

“There’s no question that people who drink moderately have lower rates of heart attacks, lower rates of diabetes, and live longer,” said Dr. Eric Rimm, associate professor in the departments of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “If you ask most cardiologists, they would say drinking in moderation is beneficial.”

Even more interesting: People who only drink occasionally, or on weekends, aren’t likely to enjoy the same health benefits as those who drink every other day, Rimm suggested. Alcohol reduces the risk of blood clotting in the 24 hours after drinking, for example, but not in the days after. Other benefits, such as a rise in good cholesterol, making it easier to process glucose, are more likely to extend throughout the week.

While the research shows health advantages of both beer and wine — without, for the most part, distinguishing between them — epidemiologists and cardiovascular specialists say there is still much to know about the specific effects of each beverage. Many are calling for a five-year randomized clinical trial to be sponsored by the National Institutes of Health that would focus, among other things, on how drinking beer affects the body, everything from bone density to how food is metabolized compared with drinking wine.