Frequent Alcohol Consumption Lowers Heart Attack Risk

A large study has shown that men who drank moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages three or more times a week had a 30-35% lower risk of heart attack than nondrinkers. The findings were published in the January 9, 2003, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study tracked the drinking habits of nearly 40,000 men over 12 years. The researchers assessed the type of alcohol consumed (beer, liquor, red wine, or white wine), the average amount consumed, whether the alcohol was consumed with a meal, and the number of days per week that alcohol was consumed. The results showed that alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of coronary artery disease regardless of the type of beverage, the quantity consumed per day, whether or not it was consumed with meals or the type of coronary outcome. Among men who drank alcohol only once or twice a week, the risk of heart attack fell to only 16%, versus 30-35% for men who drank three to four times a week. The one variable consistently linked with the lowest risk was the number of times per week a participant drank alcoholic beverages.

"In general, alcohol raises levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol,” said first author Kenneth Mukamal, M.D., MPH, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA). "In addition, alcohol impacts the body's sensitivity to insulin as well as platelet function and clotting factors.”

Through these effects, alcohol may improve the way the body metabolizes blood sugar and help to prevent the development of clots. "It seems that alcohol's influence on platelets and clotting is relatively short-term. This could explain why frequent alcohol intake is of greatest benefit in helping to guard against coronary heart disease,” noted Dr. Mukamal.




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