The good tipple guide

New research suggests that drinking beer is a good way to help ensure strong and healthy bones. It follows a wealth of scientific research into the health benefits of red wine - which in moderate amounts can help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and stroke.

Moderate drinkers are 30 per cent more likely than teetotallers to survive a heart attack, whatever their tipple, and they have better overall health and wellbeing, including increased mental alertness in older age and fewer colds.

One reason may be that alcohol intake within safe limits helps alleviate stress, one of the biggest contributors to ill health.

And it's not just the booze that can help turn your favourite tipple into a medicinal draft. Some non-alcoholic mixers can offer health benefits, too.

Here's a guide to what your favourite drink can do for you and why.

GUINESS

Good for: Boosting appetite

All that stuff about Guinness being good for pregnant women and elderly people is Irish blarney. It's based on the idea that stout is rich in blood-building iron, but this simply isn't true - the deep black colour comes from roasted, malted barley which gives flavour, but that's about all.

However, there's some truth to the idea that Guinness can help you convalesce. Like all types of alcohol, it boosts appetite, and a pint contains 190 calories. So if you've lost weight because of illness, it can help build you up.

RED WINE

Good for: Protecting against heart diseases and dementia

A wealth of medical research demonstrates that if you have 200-400ml (a glass or two) of red wine each day, it protects you against coronary heart disease, and may also help guard against adult-onset diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

Also, the flavonoids in red wine act as antioxidants (mopping up destructive chemicals called free radicals) and are beneficial to blood flow.

If red wine isn't your thing, similar effects may be obtained from a diet rich in fruits and fresh vegetables.

BEER

Good for: Bones

Recent research at King's College and St Thomas's Hospital in London found that an individual's intake of the mineral silicon is directly linked to bone strength.

As beer is one of the richest sources of silicon, a pint a day (supplying 20 per cent of the average daily intake of silicon) may be one of the most effective ways for young people to help keep their bones strong and protect against osteoporosis.

In post-menopausal women the beneficial effects of higher silicon appear to be lost.

Beer also supplies boron, another trace mineral found in healthy bone. And a pint supplies about a tenth of the Recommended Daily Allowance of niacin, which boosts energy.

Low-alcohol beers are just as good for you nutritionally.

GIN

Good for: Preventing water retention

The juniper berries which flavour gin were originally a herbal remedy for diseases of the kidneys and liver. They have a diuretic action, so a gin is even more likely to make you pass water than other alcohol.

Because of this, it may offer a short-term solution to the bloating that some women experience in the run-up to their period, though this hasn't been proven scientifically.

The downside is that gin is devoid of vitamins, minerals or antioxidants.

CIDER

Good for: Boosting iron intake and protecting against anaemia

Scrumpy cider can make you feel ill because of its high concentration of chemical extracts and impurities.

But all types of cider can reduce your chance of developing iron-deficiency anaemia (with its attendant unpleasant symptoms of fatigue, lack of concentration and dizziness).

Just one pint of sweet or dry cider, for example, supplies one fifth of the Recommended Daily Allowance of iron. Vintage cider has slightly less.

WHISKY

Good for: Preventing insomnia and protecting against heart disease

Like red wine, it contains antioxidants (derived from the wooden barrels it is matured in), though they are present in smaller amounts. Nevertheless, a shot or two of whisky each day will help to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Doctors also often recommend whisky as a hot toddy to help induce sleep. Adding a spoon of honey and lemon will help to soothe a sore throat.

On its own (or with ice), a Scotch is one of the most waistline friendly alcoholic drinks with a single shot supplying just 55 calories.

VODKA

Good for: A sensitive gut and avoiding a hangover

Being so highly distilled means vodka may be deemed suitable (in small amounts) for people on sugar-free, yeast-free diets designed to tackle conditions such as thrush, candida and irritable bowel syndrome.

One scientific analysis found that vodka had only one sixthousandth of the content of the toxic alcohol methanol, as bourbon. This, combined with the fact that vodka has virtually no colouring or flavouring chemicals means it is unlikely to give you a bad hangover.

WHITE WINE

Good for: Easing joint pain

White wine contains tyrosol and caffeic acid, which are also found in extra virgin olive oil.

According to studies at the University of Milan, these substances can partially suppress the inflammatory reaction that occurs in painful conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Only a moderate intake of white wine (one to three glasses a day) is needed to have a beneficial effect.

FOR THE NON-DRINKERS

TOMATO JUICE

Good for: Protection against cancer

Two Bloody Marys containing 125ml tomato juice each provides the Recommended Daily Amount of lycopene, an antioxidant linked with lower rates of prostate cancer. In a study reported earlier this year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men eating two servings of lycopene-rich tomato sauce a week had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who had less than one per week. Lycopene has been linked with lower rates of cardiovascular and lung disease and breast cancer.

CRANBERRY JUICE

Good for: Fighting infections

Drinking one large glass (300ml), containing 25 per cent of cranberry juice, per day significantly reduces the incidence of urinary tract infections in older woman, according to research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Proanthocyanidins in cranberries work in a very specific way by preventing infectioncausing bacteria sticking to the bladder. This ability is also thought to prevent H. pylori, the bacteria implicated in a high proportion of stomach ulcers, from attaching to the stomach lining.

GINGER ALE

Good for: Calming an upset stomach

Ginger contains gingerols, which have stomach-calming effects and can quell nausea. Dry ginger ale has slightly less sugar than the American version, but neither may have enough proper ginger to have a really beneficial effect. Ginger beer, especially organic, is better.

SLIMLINE TONIC

Good for: Those trying to loose weight

As a mixer, slimline tonic adds just two calories per drink compared with more than 30 calories in the fullsugar version. Quinine in tonic is the same chemical used as in some anti-malarial drugs and it is reputed to ease night cramps. But it is unlikely to be in enough quantity to help either condition.