The same benefits could be seen in people who drink up to two glasses of wine a day as well, but researchers at Pennsylvania State University said they hadn’t collected enough data to be sure.
The positive effects of moderate beer drinking – and, to a lesser extent, drinking spirits – were discovered by the researchers when they analysed the drinking habits and cholesterol levels of around 80,000 Chinese adults.
Their findings are in line with current health advice which recommends that men and women shouldn’t drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which is equivalent to around six pints of beer.
Although people who were drinking moderately still experienced some decline in HDL cholesterol levels, the decline was half as rapid as it was for non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.
(Source: proceedings of the American Heart Association scientific sessions 2016, November 14, 2016)
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