Light to moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages may lower risk of heart attack
The results of this study suggest that frequent light drinking, even less than an average of one drink/day, is protective of heart attack.
Compelling evidence suggests that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI = heart attack). In this prospective study, data from 58 827 participants from rural Norway, a region with typically light consumption of alcoholic beverages and many abstainers who were not ex-heavy drinkers were examined. Their quantity and frequency of consumption of beer, wine and spirits at baseline as well as the frequency of alcohol intake approximately 10 years earlier was assessed. During the 12-year follow-up period, a total of 2966 study participants suffered a heart attack. In this Norwegian population, the heart attack risk decreased with moderate intake of alcoholic beverages, especially wine. The results were not affected when excluding former drinkers or even all abstainers. Even in this very light drinking population, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was inversely and linearly associated with heart attack risk and drinkers had a significantly lower risk (20%-30%) of developing a heart attack than non-drinkers. Accounting for former drinking or comorbidities had almost no effect on the association. Frequency of alcohol intake was more strongly associated with lower heart attack risk than overall quantity consumed. The scientists concluded that this protective effect is not driven by misclassification of former drinkers and that frequent moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is most cardioprotective.
Gémes K, Janszky I, Laugsand LE, et al. Alcohol consumption is associated with a lower incidence of acute myocardial infarction: results from a large prospective population-based study in Norway. J Intern Med. 2015 Sep 14. [Epub ahead of print]
For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.