Plenty of research shows that light to moderate intake of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of heart problems.
Now
the most comprehensive study yet -- involving 2 million people
-- shows that moderate drinkers are 44 percent less likely to die from a
sudden cardiovascular-related event than those who don't drink, are 32
percent less likely to have a heart attack, 22 percent less likely to
have peripheral artery disease, and
12 percent less likely to have a
stroke.
That's a huge difference.
According to the study, "Evidence from short term alcohol
feeding interventions has shown that moderate drinking is related to
higher concentrations of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and
adiponectin, as well as lower concentrations of fibrinogen... given
this, it could be hypothesized that moderate alcohol consumption might
be protective for some cardiovascular diseases but not others."
Or in non-researcher speak, moderate drinking raises HDL
cholesterol, which has a heart-protective effect, but moderate drinking
won't protect you from
every cardiovascular disease.
What is "moderate" drinking? A single shot of alcohol, two
beers, or two small glasses of wine. (Drink more and you'll eliminate
the benefits.)
But that doesn't mean you should start drinking every day if you currently do not.
More researcher-speak: "While we found that moderate
drinkers were less likely to initially present with several
cardiovascular diseases than non-drinkers, it could be argued that it
would be unwise to encourage individuals to take up drinking as a means
of lowering their risk (although it must be noted that the findings from
this study do not directly support this as we did not consider
transitions from non-drinking to drinking). This is because there are
arguably safer and more effective ways of reducing cardiovascular risk,
such as increasing physical activity and smoking cessation, which do not
incur increased risks of alcohol related harm such as alcohol
dependence, liver disease, and cancer.
"Ultimately an individual's decision to drink should not be
considered in isolation from other health behaviors or risk factors and
instead be motivated by their own personal circumstances."
So what's the bottom line? If you enjoy drinking a couple
glasses of wine at night, roll on. If you like settling in with a beer
or two, roll on. If walking in the door to a Don Draper-like cocktail is
your thing, roll on.
But don't forget that a little exercise goes a long way too.
Not only can improving your cardiovascular fitness help you avoid the
risk of heart disease, if you do have a problem, being in better shape
can also make it more likely that you survive the initial event and then
have fewer long-term complications. (Trust me --
I know.)
Either way, the next time you raise a glass and say, "To your health," you really do mean it.
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