We've been told for years that a moderate amount of alcohol is good for your health. A range of studies have suggested a drink a day for women or two for men can promote a healthy heart and even help prevent symptoms like diabetes and dementia. But a group of scientists is questioning this belief.

Researchers like Kaye Middleton Fillmore, a retired sociologist from the University of California, San Francisco, point out that no study has ever proven that alcohol directly lowers risk of death. The only thing the studies have found is that the two go together. So moderate drinking may simply be a habit of healthy people, but not an action that actually makes you healthy.

Other scientists say many research institutions that have performed these studies have accepted money from the alcohol industry, bringing into question the objectivity of the researchers involved.

So what's the bottom line? The American Heart Association says people should not start drinking just to protect themselves from heart problems. So if you're drinking, keep it moderate. If you're not drinking, there's not much point in starting.

Read more on this at the New York Times.

photo credit: Mr. T in DC