Less promising news comes from the British Medical Journal which reports new research claiming that moderate amounts of alcohol do not have any protective effect on health, as had been reported by other researchers. The report details a study of 5,766 men in Scotland assessed over a 21-year period by the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Bristol. Non-drinkers and moderate drinkers having up to 14 units of alcohol per week had matching death rates. Heavy drinkers having 22 or more alcohol units a week, the equivalent of 11 pints of beer or half a bottle of wine a day, had an increased risk of death, the re searchers found.