Middle-aged women who have a daily drink of alcohol may live longer, a new study suggests.
"Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with modestly better overall health status," wrote Dr. Qi Sun, the study's lead author, in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine, as reported by Fox News.
The study, led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, found that women over 50 who consume a single alcoholic drink five to seven days a week are more likely to enjoy good health in old age than non-drinkers or those who had more than two drinks daily, Fox News reports.
Researchers who studied 14,000 female nurses since 1976 found that those who consumed two alcoholic drinks every day were 28 percent more likely to improve the odds of "successful ageing," while this increased to 50 percent for those who had one drink per day, according to Fox News.
The scientists defined "successful aging" as living to at least 70, being free of cancer, heart conditions and other chronic diseases, and suffering no significant mental or physical impairment, Fox News reports.
Other experts said while the study offered some indications of the benefits of drinking small amounts of alcohol, it could not justify anything beyond very modest levels, according to Fox News.
