is healthy is too sweeping

Small quantities of alcohol - such as a daily glass of wine - can protect against heart disease. Bur only if you carry a specific gene

The benefits and dangers of moderate drinking have been hotly debated.

Now scientists have found a daily glass of wine can be good for you - but only if you have the right genes.

Small quantities of alcohol protect against heart disease, but only for those who have a particular variant of a gene known as CETP TaqIB, researchers found.

Unfortunately just three in 20 people carry the gene.

Researchers said their finding challenges claims that moderate alcohol consumption - seven drinks a week for women and fourteen for men - has widespread health benefits.

It backs earlier studies linking this gene mutation with the health benefits of alcohol.

Professor Dag Thelle, of the University of Gothenburg, said: 'In other words, moderate drinking has a protective effect among only 15 per cent of the general population.'

The study compared the drinking habits of 618 Swedish heart patients and 3,000 healthy controls with all the volunteers also undergoing testing for the particular CETP genotype.

Professor Thelle and colleagues said what they found suggests the advice frequently given about the benefits of alcohol is far too sweeping because moderate drinking is healthy just for a minority.

Co-author Professor Lauren Lissner added: 'Moderate drinking alone does not have a strong protective effect. Nor does this particular genotype.

'But the combination of the two appears to significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.'

HOW WINE AND CHOCOLATE PROTECTS AGAINST DIABETES It sounds like the ingredient list for an indulgent dessert. But red wine, chocolate and strawberries are more than a guilty pleasure. They could all help guard against diabetes. A study found the high content of flavonoids found in berry fruits may regulate blood glucose levels, and stave off type 2 diabetes. Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds found in plants, as well as tea, red wine and chocolate, which can protect against a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, some cancers and dementia. The study found the main protective effect came from higher intakes of anthocyanins, which are present in strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and blueberries. Advertisement

The gene produces the protein CETP which affects the 'good' HDL cholesterol that helps remove blood fats from the body that lead to heart disease.

A theory is that alcohol boosts this form of cholesterol. Another is alcohol may contain healthy, protective antioxidants.

The researchers believe one or both hypotheses may prove correct, but the mechanisms by which HDL cholesterol or antioxidants act remain unknown.

Professor Thelle added: 'Our study represents a step in the right direction, but a lot more research is needed.

'Assuming we are able to describe these mechanisms, it may be a simple matter one day to perform genetic testing and determine whether someone belongs to the lucky 15 per cent.

'That would be useful to know when offering advice on healthy alcohol consumption. But the most important thing is to identify new means of using the body's resources to prevent coronary heart disease.'