A number of epidemiologic studies have found an association of alcohol intake with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. These observations have been purported to explain the so-called French paradox: the lower rate of cardiovascular disease in France than in its neighboring countries to the north and in the United States, despite the relatively high intake of fat in France. Several studies attribute the French paradox to the relatively high consumption of red wine by the French.1 Other epidemiologic studies,2,3 including that of Mukamal et al. in this issue of the Journal, 4 suggest that all alcoholic beverages, not wine . . .