(Telegraph) - Those who drink between two and seven small glasses of wine per week are on average 32 per cent less likely to develop depression, researchers found.

Heavy drinking has been repeatedly linked to mental health problems as well as physical illness, but some studies have already suggested that a moderate alcohol intake could be healthy.

Studies have suggested that a regular and modest wine intake could lower the risk of coronary heart disease, and experts believe there could be a similar benefit for depression because the conditions have some of the same mechanisms.

Non-alcoholic compounds in wine such as resveratrol, which have been linked to physical health, are also thought to have a protective effect on some regions of the brain.

Researchers from the University of Navarra in Spain studied the health of more than 5,500 light-to-moderate drinkers aged 55 to 80, most of whom were wine drinkers.

During a seven-year period experts assessed their alcohol consumption, mental health and lifestyle during repeated medical examinations, interviews and questionnaires.

Findings published in the BMC Medicine journal showed that a moderate daily alcohol intake was significantly linked to a lower risk of depression.

In particular, those who consumed between two and seven glasses of wine per week were 32 per cent less likely to develop the condition.