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A drink a day reduces heart attacks

Men's Fitness, May, 2003

Moderate--repeat: moderate--drinkers got another endorsement recently when researchers determined that consistent alcohol consumption may cut the risk of heart attack by as much as one-third.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, followed 38,077 healthy males for 12 years. Compared to men who consumed alcohol less than once a week, those who imbibed three or four days per week had a 32 percent decreased risk of myocardial infarction, while those who indulged five to seven days per week cut their risk of MI by 37 percent. For subjects who drank once or twice a week, the benefits were halved.

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Other factors were found to be irrelevant. "The risk was similar among men who consumed less than 10 grams of alcohol per drinking day and those who consumed 30 grams or more," concludes the report. "No single type of beverage conferred additional benefit, nor did consumption with meals.... Men who increased their alcohol consumption by a moderate amount during follow-up [also] had a decreased risk of myocardial infarction." A glass of wine contains about 10 grams of alcohol.

The benefits most likely resulted from alcohol's blood-thinning effect. "We think it may be much like people who take aspirin every day or every other day," says lead author Kenneth J. Mukamal, M.D., of Harvard University Medical School. "A little bit of alcohol on a regular basis helps keep the platelets from becoming sticky and prevents heart attacks."

Alcohol's effect on the blood is only temporary, which may explain why the frequency of consumption, rather than the amount or type of consumption, was the most important determinant in the investigation. However, earlier studies on alcohol have found that red wine has health benefits, such as reducing the risk of prostate cancer, that aren't delivered by beer, white wine or liquor. And beer may get more respect after Israeli researchers found a link between lager and a lower risk of blocked blood vessels (see sidebar below).

As in a recent French study that found alcohol raised levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol), doctors are quick to point out the risks of overindulging. Excessive drinking has been linked to liver and brain disease, numerous cancers, alcoholism, high blood pressure, gastritis and ulcers, as well as home accidents, domestic violence and traffic fatalities.

"Substitution of one disease for another is not a medical advance," says Ira J. Goldberg, M.D., of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, whose editorial "To Drink or Not to Drink?" accompanied the published study.

In other words, if you're going to bend your elbow more than once a day, make it a biceps curl.

RELATED ARTICLE: Beer nixes blood-clot protein.

Beer has always taken a backseat to red wine when it comes to health benefits, but the beverage that built Milwaukee--and big bellies everywhere--is fighting for a little respect.

A study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that men with heart disease who drank a single daily 11-ounce serving of pale ale for a month reduced their risk from a clotting protein compared to men who drank water instead. While other studies have shown alcohol-related reductions in the concentration of fibrinogen, the Israeli researchers found that beer reduced the stability and activity of the protein, lessening the likelihood of blocked blood vessels. The lager drinkers also showed an overall decrease in LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) and an overall increase in HDL (the "good" cholesterol),

The results can probably be explained by the antioxidant effect of polyphenols and flavonoids in malt and barley, notes the report, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The researchers are planning to repeat their experiment using red wine, which also contains polyphenols and flavonoids.

10-SECOND TIP

Teetotalers can still get the health benefits of alcohol. Aspirin thins the blood; exercise (especially cardio) and dietary fiber boost HDL; and tea is an excellent source of antioxidants.

A drink a day reduces heart attacks

Men's Fitness, May, 2003

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