Drink daily protects heart patients: Research
London, Nov 18 (UNI) ''A drink a day, keeps heart attack away.'' This interesting proverb would be useful for people who have survived a heart attack and want to protect themselves from having another, according to a new research.
The benefits of moderate alcohol consumption in preventing heart disease have been proved by researchers worldwide but the study suggests that the protection even worked for heart patients.
Swedish doctors have found that continuing to drink after a heart attack cuts the risk of death from heart disease by almost 40 per cent.
According to the study, those who gave up alcohol after their first heart attack were 4.5 times more likely to die from heart disease than non drinkers of long standing.
''Wine and spirits appear to be protective but beer increased the risk of heart attacks by about 50 per cent,'' Daily Mail quoted researcher Imre Janszky as saying.
The study carried out by researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm used the entire Swedish population between 44 to 70 years as the basis of their research.
UNI