Professor Brenner tested blood samples from 1,785 volunteers in the German National Health and Nutrition Survey for antibodies against H.Pylori, which gave evidence that they were infected with the bacteria, and questioned them about their lifestyle.

The findings,reported in Epidemiology, revealed that moderate drinkers, i.e. those who drank a glass of wine or a pint of beer a day were more than 30% less likely to harbour H.Pylori than non-drinkers.

Wine reduced the infection rate by 42% and beer by 25%. Brenner concludes "It is another piece of the puzzle suggesting that moderate alcohol consumption, as practised by the vast majority of the population, does indeed offer some health benefits".