At the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Dr. Paul T. Williams and colleagues found in their ongoing “Runners Health Study” that those who follow a vegetarian or low-fat diet, strenuous exercise and moderate alcohol consumption appear to raise levels of beneficial high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, known as HDL. Raising levels of HDL was reported as one mechanism to explain cardiovascular benefits for moderate drinkers. The study suggest that running distances and alcohol intake contribute independently and additively to the production of HDL-cholesterol concentration in runners.

Moderate consumption of alcohol is for example a glass of wine or beer with lunch and dinner. Let’s say 2 to 3 beers a day.
Newsletter July 1998