There's always a "but." If you're drinking heavily, the advantage of living longer than men pretty much disappears. If you consume large amounts of alcohol, your chance of developing health problems is greater than that of men. So is your chance of dying earlier than you should.

For example, studies have shown that if you average two drinks a day, four days a week, your chance of developing skin cancer is 2 1/2 times greater than women who don't drink. And with each additional drink, your chances of developing breast cancer, heart disease, and other health problems increase significantly.

Women also develop alcoholic liver disease in a shorter period of heavy drinking, and at a lower level of daily drinking than men. And more alcoholic women die of cirrhosis than do alcoholic men.

Conclusion? The less you drink, the longer you're likely to live and be healthy.