ALCOHOL

There is a fairly consistent body of evidence that drinking modest amounts of alcohol may protect you against heart disease.

A recent study, published in the European Heart Journal, followed more than 14,000 adults aged 45 and older for 24 years and found that men and women who reported drinking up to 12 units of alcohol per week (the equivalent of around six glasses of wine) had a lower risk of developing heart failure than those who never drank. They also found that those most likely to have died from any cause over the course of the study had been heavier drinkers, where women were drinking more than 14 units and men were drinking more than 21 units a week. – MM VERDICT: Enjoy up to six glasses of wine a week to potentially reduce your risk of heart failure. Any more could be hazardous to health.