A generation ago, most doctors would have thought you were drunk if you told them that sipping an alcoholic beverage or two is good for the heart. Today, many cardiologists actually advise their patients to have a nip now and then.

They point to the so-called French paradox: Parisians smoke and scarf down artery clogging goose liver and cream sauces, yet they have 36 percent fewer heart attacks than Americans. Of course, wine is not the only difference that explains the paradox, but it is intriguing. Our French cousins drink 16 gallons of wine per person each year, compared to just two gallons in the United States.

Alcohol fights heart disease by raising levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol and preventing blood clots. However, it’s beginning to look like booze’s benefits may extend beyond the heart. A recent German study found that people who have about three drinks per day are 29 percent less likely to be infected with Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that cause peptic ulcers. Not only does alcohol kill the microbes, but it also kicks the stomach's acid production into overdrive, making life generally miserable for the H. pylori bug.

What's more, last year a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that people who enjoy two drinks per day lower their risk of having a stroke by 50 percent. A study by researchers at the University of Buffalo found that moderate drinkers are also less likely to develop insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to diabetes mellitus, itself a risk factor for heart disease.

Note the key word here: moderate. Not only can excessive drinking lead to dependence, drunk driving, and liver damage, but also many medical conditions that are prevented by a modest amount of alcohol are actually promoted by drinking too much. A study sponsored by the U.S. government found a 22 percent reduced risk of breast cancer among women who have a daily glass of wine. But another large survey found that women who average more than two drinks per day greatly increase their risk of this dreaded disease.

Experts say that non-drinkers shouldn't start tippling for the sake of getting healthy. Men who do drink should shut themselves off after two drinks a day, and women should have no more than a glass or two. The best choice is red wine, which, unlike distilled spirits, contains healthful antioxidants.