Study: Drinking a Day Reduces the Risk of Dying of Heart Disease
A glass of beer or wine a day can protect against heart disease. This conclusion was reached by researchers who observed 18 thousand people aged 70 years. They found that drinking five to ten glasses of drinks a week reduced the risk of heart disease.
The study found that drinking wine or beer daily may be the key to preventing heart disease in older people, writes the Daily Mail.
Australian researchers from Monash University (Melbourne) observed the effects of alcohol consumption in 18,000 people aged 70 and older in the United States and Australia. They found that drinking five to ten drinks a week led to a much lower risk of dying from heart problems.
Robin Woods, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said the study was enlightening. “This is the range of five to 10 standard drinks per week where we saw real benefits for reducing the risk of mortality as well as for cardiovascular disease,” Professor Woods tells The Daily Telegraph. “We can say with great confidence that moderate alcohol consumption does not appear to harm older people in terms of cardiovascular disease, as well as in terms of overall mortality.”
The researchers came to this conclusion after observing participants in the ASPREE study, which looked at the effects of lower-dose aspirin on healthy older adults and required participants to report their alcohol consumption.
Fifty-seven percent of the participants were women, 43.3 percent were men, and most were around the age of 70. The participants were followed for about 4.7 years, and the researchers found that moderate alcohol drinkers were better off than their teetotal peers.
Lead author Dr. Neumann points out that all participants were considered healthy prior to the trial. The consequences of moderate alcohol consumption remain unknown for older people who are less healthy and physically active.
People should also not use this study as an encouragement to consume more alcohol with excessive consumption associated with an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, dementia, stroke and liver failure, the Daily Mail notes.
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