(Mensfitness) - A FEW YEARS have passed since researchers elevated alcohol to an indulgence that is actually good for your heart.

Now, another study provides some insight into whether—for red wine, at least—the benefits stem from the grapes or the alcohol.

Researchers at the University of Barcelona in Spain conducted a study on 67 men with a high risk of heart disease—as indicated by a higher body mass index, smoking, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

After two weeks of abstaining from alcohol, the men went through three four-week stages: drinking two glasses of red wine a day; drinking two glasses of red wine (with the alcohol removed) a day; and drinking the same amount of gin (by alcohol content) a day. The study found that drinking alcohol—in either red wine or gin—increased the level of a compound in the blood that controls inflammation. Drinking red wine—with or without alcohol—decreased the level of compounds related to the formation of plaques in the arteries.