More Booze, Fewer Heart Attacks?
Study Finds Protection Increases With Drinking Frequency
Jan. 8, 2003 -- It seems like a barfly's dream come true: Scientific evidence -- from Harvard Medical School, no less -- suggests that the more often men drink, the less likely they are to have heart attacks. After studying alcohol consumption patterns of more than 38,000 health professionals over 12 years, researchers say the risk of America's top killer, heart disease, appears to steadily decrease as imbibing quantity and frequency increases.
In the study, men who drank alcohol three to four times or more per week were about 30-40% less likely to have a heart attack during the 12-year period, compared with men who drank less than once a week.
The study also found that the type of alcohol beverage didn't matter -- beer, wine, or liquor -- they all provided some protection against heart disease, although the strongest association for the reduced risk was with beer and liquor. These findings are published in the Jan. 9 issue of TheNew England Journal of Medicine.
Does this mean that more booze is better?
While the researchers find that two drinks seem better than one, and drinking more frequently may enhance protection more than just an occasional indulgence, they stress moderation -- albeit, perhaps more regularly than what some previously believed.
"The amount of alcohol consumed by the men in our study was well within the recommended range of no more than two drinks a day. Drinking heavier amounts does not provide additional benefits in preventing heart attacks and it poses other health hazards," says lead researcher Kenneth Mukamal, MD, MPH.
"And while our study showed a greater benefit from drinking three or four times a week compared [with] once or twice a week or not at all, there really is no additional benefit in preventing heart attack from drinking every day. Once you go beyond those three or four nights a week, you don't get any additional bang for your buck."
Researchers have shown that different drinking patterns can modify "good" HDL cholesterol, and there is evidence it may also improve blood sugar sensitivity, possibly reducing the risk of diabetes. Yet heavier amounts -- beyond the recommended two glasses per sitting -- can raise blood pressure and boost the risk of diabetes, as well as damage the liver, significantly raise risk of traffic and other accidents, and add excess pounds.
More Booze, Fewer Heart Attacks?
Study Finds Protection Increases With Drinking Frequency
Jan. 8, 2003 -- It seems like a barfly's dream come true: Scientific evidence -- from Harvard Medical School, no less -- suggests that the more often men drink, the less likely they are to have heart attacks. After studying alcohol consumption patterns of more than 38,000 health professionals over 12 years, researchers say the risk of America's top killer, heart disease, appears to steadily decrease as imbibing quantity and frequency increases.
In the study, men who drank alcohol three to four times or more per week were about 30-40% less likely to have a heart attack during the 12-year period, compared with men who drank less than once a week.
The study also found that the type of alcohol beverage didn't matter -- beer, wine, or liquor -- they all provided some protection against heart disease, although the strongest association for the reduced risk was with beer and liquor. These findings are published in the Jan. 9 issue of TheNew England Journal of Medicine.
Does this mean that more booze is better?
While the researchers find that two drinks seem better than one, and drinking more frequently may enhance protection more than just an occasional indulgence, they stress moderation -- albeit, perhaps more regularly than what some previously believed.
"The amount of alcohol consumed by the men in our study was well within the recommended range of no more than two drinks a day. Drinking heavier amounts does not provide additional benefits in preventing heart attacks and it poses other health hazards," says lead researcher Kenneth Mukamal, MD, MPH.
"And while our study showed a greater benefit from drinking three or four times a week compared [with] once or twice a week or not at all, there really is no additional benefit in preventing heart attack from drinking every day. Once you go beyond those three or four nights a week, you don't get any additional bang for your buck."
Researchers have shown that different drinking patterns can modify "good" HDL cholesterol, and there is evidence it may also improve blood sugar sensitivity, possibly reducing the risk of diabetes. Yet heavier amounts -- beyond the recommended two glasses per sitting -- can raise blood pressure and boost the risk of diabetes, as well as damage the liver, significantly raise risk of traffic and other accidents, and add excess pounds.
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