In contrast to the studies above, moderate alcohol consumption seems to enhance immune response to infection and vaccination (Cohen, Tyrrell et al. 1993, Mendenhall, Theus et al. 1997, Takkouche, Regueira-Méndez et al. 2002, Romeo, Warnberg et al. 2007, Romeo, Warnberg et al. 2007, Ouchi, Niu et al. 2012, Messaoudi, Asquith et al. 2013). A study of 391 males and females intentionally exposed to five different respiratory viruses showed that moderate alcohol consumption (1–2 drinks/day) was associated with decreased incidence of colds (Cohen, Tyrrell et al. 1993). A second study using a cohort of 4272 male and female individuals found the consumption of wine inversely associated with the risk of common cold (Takkouche, Regueira-Méndez et al. 2002). A third retrospective study that followed 899 men reported that non-drinkers were significantly more likely to experience 2 or more episodes of common cold compared with subjects who consumed 11.5–35.8g of alcohol per day (Ouchi, Niu et al. 2012). Moderate beer consumption also enhanced the production of T cell cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ and reduced IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio (Romeo, Warnberg et al. 2007).
