Moderate alcohol consumption linked to decreased risk of heart attack

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Healthy men who drink moderately have a lowered risk of having a heart attack, says a new study.
Previous research has shown that adults who drink moderate amounts of alcohol seem to have a decreased risk of heart attack compared with those who do not drink at all. A new study, from researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, now looks at the influence of alcohol on heart attack in men who also have a healthy lifestyle.

The new report comes from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and covers a group of 8,867 men who did not smoke and also had a healthy diet and exercised regularly. Between 1986 and 2002, 106 men had heart attacks. Those who did not drink at all had the highest risk of having a heart attack and those who drank between 15 and 29 grams of alcohol a day - moderate consumption of around two drinks - had the lowest risk. Of course, the risks of heavy drinking to health are well known and this is why doctors do not usually recommend alcohol as a way of avoiding a heart attack. Instead, they concentrate on advising patients to take more exercise and eat more healthily. For patients who already do this, moderate drinking may complement their healthy lifestyle.

Source
Archives of Internal Medicine 23rd October 2006 Volume 166 pages 2145-2150