[PointRadix]

One of the recurring themes of these "benefits of alcohol" reports is that wine, especially red wine, is usually highlighted. So, it is likely that these benefits of moderate consumption are not so much related to the ethanol itself, but to some of the other substances that form in wines.

No responsible medical authority could seriously "prescribe" alcoholism, or claim that these studies demonstrate that potential benefits of moderate use could outweigh the established costs of excess use. The point is that regardless of the best of intentions, it would require (in practice) a high degree of self-discipline on the part of the "moderate user" to remain so (and not progressively increase in take over time). Simply because the "subjects" of this study started drinking at 45-64 age does not necessarily imply that this will not be the case for them.