Research points to lower risk of heart attack in moderate drinkers

New findings on the health benefits of moderate drinking may be good news for some but they do not back greater consumption.

Drinking alcohol may ­increase beneficial oestrogen levels in women.

Moderate drinkers are about a third less likely to have a heart ­attack than those who have ­always been teetotallers, according to an overview of research that strengthens the theory that ­alcohol has a protective effect.

Women who had never drunk appeared to be particularly at risk, with almost double the chance of suffering heart attacks, angina and heart failure than moderate drinkers.

The findings come after ­research published this month found that middle-aged moderate drinkers were significantly less likely to develop dementia than teetotallers.

However, experts cautioned that drinking was unlikely to be recommended for medicinal purposes because of past findings that any benefit for the heart was outweighed by a higher risk of strokes and cancer. Previous studies that found non-drinkers suffered more health problems have been dogged by concerns that this group includes former ­alcoholics and others who had given up drinking because they were already ill.

The latest research finds that both those who had given up ­alcohol and those who had never drunk it were likelier to suffer heart attacks than those who stuck to moderate drinking.

Using data from six studies covering 35,000 people with an average age in their late 50s, ­researchers concluded that those who never drank were 47 per cent likelier to suffer heart problems than those who consistently drank moderately, while those who had given up drinking were at 31 per cent higher risk.

Dara O’Neill, of University College London, lead author of the study, says: “There is some evidence that drinking alcohol may ­increase oestrogen levels in women, and oestrogen levels are thought to be linked to lower coronary heart disease risk, so this may contribute to the differences between female non-­drinkers and moderate drinkers.”

The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, also found that those who had years of heavy drinking before returning to a more moderate alcohol intake were 18 per cent likelier to suffer heart attacks than those who stuck consistently to weekly limits of 14 units for women, roughly one medium glass of wine a night, and 21 for men.

Naveed Sattar, of Glasgow University, co-author of a recent study suggesting that two glasses of wine a night could take two years off your life, says although “risk for (heart attacks) may well be lower with modest alcohol, risk for other complications of the heart and brain increase with even moderate drinking … no one should start to drink or drink more to protect their heart”.

Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, says: “While there may be benefits to heart disease from alcohol consumption, there may be implications for other circulatory conditions, such as stroke and vascular dementia, as well as for cancers.

“There are much safer ways to reduce your risk of heart ­disease, like keeping fit and eating well.”

The Times