Cheers! Moderate drinking lowers heart disease risk, study finds
BY JEN GERSON, POSTMEDIA NEWS FEBRUARY 24, 2011 9:03 AM COMMENTS (1)
STORY
PHOTOS ( 1 )
People who drink a glass or two of alcohol per day are up to 25 per cent less likely to develop heart disease, according to a University of Calgary study published in the British Medical Journal this week.
Photograph by: Jason Payne, PNG files
CALGARY — The results are in: a little alcohol is good for you. Now scientists need to figure out why.
People who drink a glass or two of alcohol per day are up to 25 per cent less likely to develop health problems like coronary disease and fatal heart attacks according to a University of Calgary study published in the British Medical Journal this week.
Two meta-studies from the school combined and analyzed the results of dozens of previous research papers on alcohol consumption and heart disease.
The study led by Susan Brien, a community health researcher at the school, found that moderate alcohol consumption led to higher levels of "good" cholesterol and a decrease of a chemical responsible for blood clotting.
"We were able to do an analysis by alcohol beverage type and we found no difference in the results," she said. "It didn't matter whether it was a glass of wine, beer or shot of liquor."
Which means the beneficial effects of alcohol are likely found within the substance itself, rather than in other chemicals found in wine or beer. The studies also were able to rule out other potential causal factors like socio-economic status.
Presented by the researchers as among the most comprehensive studies on the subject, the research selected the top articles published in medical journals over the last six decades involving more than a million participants.
The results of the study will likely come as no shock to those following the debate between sots and teetotallers.
"We weren't surprised given that it has been suggested for quite a while that consumption of alcohol in moderation does have a cardio-protective effect," Brien said. "We were surprised that there were so many studies out there that do look at the connection between alcohol and cardio vascular disease."
Although not involved with the study itself, Dr. James Stone, a clinical professor at the school and chair of the national guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation, praised the work of his colleagues.
"It's brilliant research. This is far and away the most extensive analysis that's been done," he said. "In the research world, this is grunt work. Somebody had to sit down and pour through thousands and thousands of studies, combing through them with a fine tooth come to find those numbers."
A better understanding of how to prevent cardiovascular disease is crucial, as it remains one of the country's top killers, he said.
"If you don't die of drugs, alcohol, suicide or trauma, you're either going to die of heart disease or cancer, pretty much."
Although he considers the study clear-cut, he doubts doctors will encourage non-drinkers to pick up a pint.
Rather, he would encourage people concerned about their health to eat better and exercise regularly.
Some are concerned that the study's results will encourage people to see alcohol as a panacea for heart health.
Diamond Fernandes, the director at the Heart Fit clinic in Calgary, said patients may use the study's results as an excuse to drink to excess.
"My personal concern with talking about moderate alcohol is that people will sometimes abuse that aspect of it," he said. "There are definite benefits, but females can only drink one drink per day. When you go above that it has an inverse affect, including increased hypertension and even irregular heart rhythms."
He finds patients already lie about how much they really drink, he said.
The study also doesn't account for other factors that have a positive impact on heart health such as eating well, and limiting excessive alcohol intake. Even though the study looked at different types of alcohol, it didn't consider the negative health impacts of mixing alcohol with high-sugar beverages like soda.
"People think it's OK to have more than two drinks per day and that's where you're put at more risk," Fernandes said.
The study researchers said it's imperative to balance the findings with a public health message admonishing over-drinking.
"We don't want to jump to making firm recommendations for either independent patients or the general public because the goal wasn't to jump to that ultimate result. The goal was to summarize what's already known in all the studies in the world," said William Ghali, a professor at the faculty of medicine at the university and director of the institute of public health.
"There does need to be a debate because with alcohol, there's a slippery slope."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Read more:http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Cheers+Moderate+drinking+lowers+heart+disease+risk+study+finds/4335310/story.html#ixzz1EwLAKxQN
BY JEN GERSON, POSTMEDIA NEWS FEBRUARY 24, 2011 9:03 AM COMMENTS (1)
STORY
PHOTOS ( 1 )
People who drink a glass or two of alcohol per day are up to 25 per cent less likely to develop heart disease, according to a University of Calgary study published in the British Medical Journal this week.
Photograph by: Jason Payne, PNG files
CALGARY — The results are in: a little alcohol is good for you. Now scientists need to figure out why.
People who drink a glass or two of alcohol per day are up to 25 per cent less likely to develop health problems like coronary disease and fatal heart attacks according to a University of Calgary study published in the British Medical Journal this week.
Two meta-studies from the school combined and analyzed the results of dozens of previous research papers on alcohol consumption and heart disease.
The study led by Susan Brien, a community health researcher at the school, found that moderate alcohol consumption led to higher levels of "good" cholesterol and a decrease of a chemical responsible for blood clotting.
"We were able to do an analysis by alcohol beverage type and we found no difference in the results," she said. "It didn't matter whether it was a glass of wine, beer or shot of liquor."
Which means the beneficial effects of alcohol are likely found within the substance itself, rather than in other chemicals found in wine or beer. The studies also were able to rule out other potential causal factors like socio-economic status.
Presented by the researchers as among the most comprehensive studies on the subject, the research selected the top articles published in medical journals over the last six decades involving more than a million participants.
The results of the study will likely come as no shock to those following the debate between sots and teetotallers.
"We weren't surprised given that it has been suggested for quite a while that consumption of alcohol in moderation does have a cardio-protective effect," Brien said. "We were surprised that there were so many studies out there that do look at the connection between alcohol and cardio vascular disease."
Although not involved with the study itself, Dr. James Stone, a clinical professor at the school and chair of the national guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation, praised the work of his colleagues.
"It's brilliant research. This is far and away the most extensive analysis that's been done," he said. "In the research world, this is grunt work. Somebody had to sit down and pour through thousands and thousands of studies, combing through them with a fine tooth come to find those numbers."
A better understanding of how to prevent cardiovascular disease is crucial, as it remains one of the country's top killers, he said.
"If you don't die of drugs, alcohol, suicide or trauma, you're either going to die of heart disease or cancer, pretty much."
Although he considers the study clear-cut, he doubts doctors will encourage non-drinkers to pick up a pint.
Rather, he would encourage people concerned about their health to eat better and exercise regularly.
Some are concerned that the study's results will encourage people to see alcohol as a panacea for heart health.
Diamond Fernandes, the director at the Heart Fit clinic in Calgary, said patients may use the study's results as an excuse to drink to excess.
"My personal concern with talking about moderate alcohol is that people will sometimes abuse that aspect of it," he said. "There are definite benefits, but females can only drink one drink per day. When you go above that it has an inverse affect, including increased hypertension and even irregular heart rhythms."
He finds patients already lie about how much they really drink, he said.
The study also doesn't account for other factors that have a positive impact on heart health such as eating well, and limiting excessive alcohol intake. Even though the study looked at different types of alcohol, it didn't consider the negative health impacts of mixing alcohol with high-sugar beverages like soda.
"People think it's OK to have more than two drinks per day and that's where you're put at more risk," Fernandes said.
The study researchers said it's imperative to balance the findings with a public health message admonishing over-drinking.
"We don't want to jump to making firm recommendations for either independent patients or the general public because the goal wasn't to jump to that ultimate result. The goal was to summarize what's already known in all the studies in the world," said William Ghali, a professor at the faculty of medicine at the university and director of the institute of public health.
"There does need to be a debate because with alcohol, there's a slippery slope."
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
Read more:http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Cheers+Moderate+drinking+lowers+heart+disease+risk+study+finds/4335310/story.html#ixzz1EwLAKxQN
======================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment