Moderate drinking in middle age lowers risk of heart disease

Washington, Mar 9 (UNI) Good news for drinkers as recent research shows that moderate drinkers are less likely to develop heart disease and live longer.

The study found people who started drinking in middle-age saw an immediate benefit of lower cardiac disease morbidity with no change in mortality after four years.

It also identified a subset of new drinkers who consumed only wine. When compared to drinkers of other types of alcohol, and heavy drinkers, the wine-only drinkers had the most significant reduction in serious heart events, the research, published in The American Journal of Medicine added.

Drinkers of other types of alcohol also had an advantage over non-drinkers, but the difference did not reach statistical significance, the study conducted by the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina added.

''Moderate drinkers had a 38 per cent lower chance of developing heart disease than did their non-drinking counterparts, even if they were overweight, had diabetes or high blood pressure,'' said author of the study, Dana E King, MD, MS.

''The findings suggest that, for carefully selected individuals, a 'heart healthy diet' may include limited alcohol consumption even among individuals who have not included alcohol previously,'' Sciencedaily quoted her as saying.

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