(12-04-11) The Effects of Alcohol on Stroke and Heart Disease

-- by David Juan, MD

The best health advice is not to use alcohol for any medical
reason, but to understand that it can in ways benefit your
heart. But only in moderate doses. Some types of alcohol
could reduce your risk of suffering a stroke. And studies
have also shown that alcohol could drop your risk of heart
disease -- and even cardiac death.

In a Danish study with 13,329 men and women aged 45 to
84, researchers showed a definite relationship between
wine intake and stroke. Specifically, they showed that
drinking wine on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis was
associated with a lower risk of stroke. There was, though,
no association between intake of beer or spirits and the risk
of stroke.

In a meta-analysis of 157 studies, the researchers concluded
that, when compared with abstaining, the ingestion of more
than 60 grams of alcohol a day increased the risk of stroke,
whereas consumption of less than 12 grams a day was
associated with reduced risk of stroke. They speculate that
moderate alcohol use could increase HDL ("good")
cholesterol levels, stop platelets from clumping together,
and enhance your blood's clotting abilities.

In another study, with 6,051 men and 7,234 women aged
30 to 70 years followed for 12 years, a group of researchers
studied the different alcoholic drinks and overall death
rates. This study showed that individuals who drank three
to five glasses of wine a day were half as likely to die from
heart disease, stroke or any other causes as compared to
those who never drank wine. However, those who drank
three to five drinks of hard liquor experienced an increase
in all-cause mortality by 34% when compared to non-
drinkers. Beer drinking was not associated with any
increase in mortality.

In the Women's Health Study (26,399 women), researchers
showed that alcohol intake of five to 15 grams a day was
associated with 26%, 35% and 51% reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease, total death and cardiovascular
death, respectively. The reduced cardiovascular risks
associated with alcohol intake in a large part was due to
lowering of cholesterol followed by lowering of
hemoglobin A1C (which measures the average blood sugar
the previous three months), inflammatory and coagulation
factors, and blood pressure.

In a large meta-analysis (over one million subjects), up to
four drinks a day in men and two in women was inversely
related with total mortality, with a maximum protection of
around 18% in women and 17% in men.

Moderate red wine consumption (one to two drinks a day;
10 to 30 grams alcohol) in most populations seems to have
beneficial cardiovascular effects. These authors speculated
that red wine components, especially alcohol, resveratrol or
other chemical, could reduce oxidative stress, increase
HDL cholesterol and inhibit hardening of the arteries.

Source: Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin

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