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2009-11-19 11:42:49
Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a
third, a major study suggests.
The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found
large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men.
Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found.
Experts are critical, warning heavy drinking can increase the risk of other
diseases, with alcohol responsible for 1.8 million deaths globally per year.
The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of
alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease.
The research involved men and women aged between 29 and 69, who were asked to
document their lifetime drinking habits and followed for 10 years.
Crucially the research team claim to have eliminated the "sick abstainers" risk
by differentiating between those who had never drunk and those whom ill-health
had forced to quit. This has been used in the past to explain fewer
heart-related deaths among drinkers on the basis that those who are unhealthy
to start with are less likely to drink.
Good cholesterol
The researchers from centres across Spain placed the participants into six
categories - from never having drunk to drinking more than 90g of alcohol each
day. This would be the equivalent of consuming about eight bottles of wine a
week, or 28 pints of lager.
People should not be encouraged to drink more as a result of this research
Professor Martin McKee London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
For those drinking little - less than a shot of vodka a day for instance - the
risk was reduced by 35%. And for those who drank anything from three shots to
more than 11 shots each day, the risk worked out an average of 50% less.
The same benefits were not seen in women, who suffer fewer heart problems than
men to start with. Researchers speculated this difference could be down to the
fact that women process alcohol differently, and that female hormones protect
against the disease in younger age groups.
The type of alcohol drunk did not seem to make a difference, but protection was
greater for those drinking moderate to high amounts of varied drinks.
The exact mechanisms are as yet unclear, but it is known that alcohol helps to
raise high-density lipoproteins, sometimes known as good cholesterol, which
helps stop so-called bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries.
'Binge-drinking'
UK experts said the findings should be treated with caution because they do not
take into account ill-health from a range of other diseases caused by excess
drinking.
"Whilst moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of having a heart attack,
coronary heart disease is just one type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, a
disease of the heart muscle, is associated with high alcohol intake and can
lead to a poor quality of life and premature death," said the British Heart
Foundation's senior cardiac nurse, Cathy Ross.
"The heart is just one of many organs in the body. While alcohol could offer
limited protection to one organ, abuse of it can damage the heart and other
organs such as the liver, pancreas and brain."
The Stroke Association meanwhile noted that overall, evidence indicated that
people who regularly consumed a large amount of alcohol had a three-fold
increased risk of stroke.
"Six units within six hours is considered 'binge-drinking' and anyone indulging
in regular 'binge-drinking' increases their risk of stroke greatly," said
research officer Joanne Murphy.
Public health specialists warned no-one should be encouraged to drink more as a
result of this study.
"The relationship between alcohol and heart disease remains controversial,"
said Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine.
"While there is good evidence that moderate consumption is protective in people
who are at substantial risk of heart disease - which excludes most people under
the age of 40 - we also know that most people underestimate how much they
drink. This paper adds to the existing literature but should not be considered
as definitive. "
In the UK, the recommendation is no more than two to three units of alcohol a
day for women - the equivalent of one standard glass of wine - and three to
four units for men.
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health,
agreed that the message from this study was not clear: "At the end of the day,
you're juggling different risks and benefits, maybe helping your heart or maybe
damaging your brain and liver.
"The simple message is moderation.
"Stick to the guidelines, and you won't go far wrong."