- reduced the risk of a new diagnosis of coronary artery disease by 29%
- reduced the risk of dying from any cardiovascular disease by 25%
- reduced the risk of dying from a heart attack or coronary artery disease by 25%
- reduced the risk of dying from any cause by 13%.
- reduced the risk of having an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke by 8%
- increased the risk of dying from a stroke by 6%
- increased the risk of having a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke by 14%.
The amount of alcohol consumed influenced the effect. For coronary artery disease and death from it, any amount of alcohol—from just under one-half drink per day on up—reduced heart disease risk by about 25%. But this was offset by stroke risk: at four drinks per day, the risk of having a stroke was 62% higher than it was with no alcohol use, and the risk of dying from a stroke was 44% higher. The lowest risk for any cause of death was at one drink per day.
While a drink a day may be good for the heart, many people drink much more than that. Excessive drinking is a major cause of preventable deaths in the United States and contributes to liver disease, a variety of cancers, and other health problems. Too much alcohol can dissolve the best of intentions and the closest relationships. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 4 in 10 people who drink alcohol are heavy drinkers or at risk of becoming one.
If alcohol affected only the coronary arteries, a drink a day might be good medicine. But it affects almost every body part, and the amount consumed determines the ultimate outcome. That means careful consideration is needed for this two-sided beverage.
Read the full-length article: “More to the story than alcohol = heart protection”
Also in this issue:
- Protecting blood vessels helps prevent dementia
- Apps for heart health
- Angioplasty via wrist artery is safe and effective
- Is it a good idea to wear compression stockings on a long-haul flight?
The Harvard Heart Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $29 per year. Subscribe at www.health.harvard.edu/heart or by calling 877-649-9457 (toll-free).
Media: Contact Raquel Schott at Raquel_Schott @ hms.harvard.edu for a complimentary copy of the newsletter, or to receive our press releases directly.