Friday, November 20, 2009
ALCOHOL may cut the risk of heart disease by almost a third in men, research suggested yesterday.
A study on people aged 29 to 69 found drinking could protect men from heart disease regardless of whether they drank beer, wine or spirits – although no significant effect was found in women.
The link between alcohol and heart health has been studied for some time, with many experts believing a moderate amount of alcohol can be beneficial.
The latest study suggests drinking at high levels also offers protection but health experts warned this could damage other organs and cause premature death.
The latest study on more than 41,000 people was published in the journal Heart.
Spanish researchers questioned people on their lifetime drinking habits and how much they had drunk in the year prior to the start of the study.
People were classed as never drinkers, former drinkers, low drinkers (0g-5g of alcohol a day), moderate drinkers (5g to 30g a day), high drinkers (30g to 90g a day) and very high drinkers (more than 90g a day).
In Ireland, one unit of alcohol measures 10g.
The number of coronary problems suffered over 10 years was recorded by the experts and analysed according to how much people drank. The results showed moderate drinkers could cut their risk by 51%, by 54% among high drinkers and by 50% among very high drinkers.
The combined results for all the men who took part in the study showed that drinking alcohol cut the risk of heart disease by 30%.
Cathy Ross, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "The heart protective benefits of alcohol are well documented and this observational Spanish study supports this theory.
"While 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.
"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.
"This study does not change the message that drinking moderately can be beneficial to the heart but drinking in excess is harmful and a danger to your health generally."
Spain is the world’s third largest producer of beer and wine and its people are the sixth biggest drinkers in the world. However, the country also enjoys one of the lowest death rates from coronary heart disease in the world.
Robert Sutton, professor of surgery at the University of Liverpool, said the study suffered from "several flaws" and should not be taken to suggest that high levels of alcohol can improve health.
He said the finding that there was no relationship between alcohol and heart disease in women was "highly unusual" and suggested the need for more research.
Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "The relationship between alcohol and heart disease remains controversial.
"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. Certainly, people should not be encouraged to drink more as a result of this research."
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