It is well known that moderate drinking can have positive health benefits; for instance, a couple of glasses of red wine a day can be good for the heart, but if you're a senior in good health, light to moderate consumption of alcohol may also help prevent the development of physical disability.

That is the conclusion of a new UCLA study, available in the online edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology, which found that light to moderate drinking among these seniors reduced their odds of developing physical problems that would prevent them from performing common tasks such as walking, dressing and grooming.