Could drinking help men’s hearts?

Spanish scientists looked at over 41,000 men and women aged 29 to 69. They studied the relationship between the amount of alcohol people drank and their chance of getting coronary heart disease.

Participants were asked about their lifetime drinking habits and how much alcohol they drank per day or week during the 12 months before the study started.

They were then divided into six groups, according to the amount of alcohol they drank. The groups were former drinkers, never drinkers, low drinkers, moderate drinkers, high drinkers and very high drinkers.

The researchers recorded the number of heart problems that occurred in each group over an average of 10 years.

Other things that may have affected the participants risk of coronary heart disease, including whether they smoked, how much physical activity they did and their medical history were also taken into account.

The results of the study show that drinking alcohol reduced the likelihood of men getting coronary heart disease. Moderate, high and very high male drinkers all showed a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Overall, drinking alcohol was found to reduce their chance of getting coronary heart disease by around a third.

However, this effect wasn’t seen in women. The researchers suggest this may be because only a low number of women had heart problems during the study, meaning the results were not conclusive.

Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director for Bupa International, commented:

“This research suggests that drinking alcohol can offer men protection against coronary heart disease, regardless of how much they drink. However, we know that drinking too much can seriously damage your health and cause early death.

“Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may help protect you against heart disease. However, you should always stick within the recommended drinking limits. If you do not drink alcohol, do not start in an attempt to improve your health. Similarly, do not increase the amount you drink.

“There are other ways to keep your heart healthy that do not involve the dangers associated with drinking – for example eating a balanced diet, giving up smoking and being more active.

Further information

Coronary heart disease – health factsheet

Looking after your heart – health factsheet

Sensible drinking - health factsheet