According to a new research, people who drink moderate or low amounts of alcohol are found to have better health as compared to those who do not drink at all.

The study findings said that moderate drinkers have lower chances of developing heart problems, obesity and depressive disorder than people who abstain from alcohol entirely.

Boris Hansel of the Pitie-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, who led the research, stated, "Moderate alcohol intake is a powerful marker of a higher social level, superior general health status and lower cardiovascular risk."

The study researchers investigated all sorts of health data on about 150,000 people from Paris who had medical tests between 1999 and 2005.

They divided the sample into four different groups including people who did not drink; light drinkers; moderate drinkers; and heavy drinkers.

On a range of health indicators, light and moderate drinkers scored better as compared to teetotallers and heavy drinkers.

Besides reduced rates of heart trouble and depression, they tended to have lower cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels, and suffer less from stress.

The study showed that people who drink low or moderate amounts of alcohol "for pleasure" could continue doing so.

But the findings, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a Nature title, do not support the medicinal use of wine or any other alcoholic drink.

"It is not appropriate to promote alcohol consumption as a basis for cardiovascular protection," said Hansel.

The 2009 research from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands showed that half a glass of wine a day can add five years to your life. Compounds in red wine have also been shown to stop the build up of fatty tissue in the arteries of animals. (With Inputs from Agencies)