Search: alcohol reduce heart disease
Alcohol may cut the risk of heart disease by almost a third in men, research has suggested.
A study on people aged 29 to 69 found drinking could protect men from heart disease regardless of whether they drank beer, wine or spirits - although no significant effect was found in women.
The link between alcohol and heart health has been studied for some time, with many experts believing a moderate amount of alcohol can be beneficial.
The latest study suggests drinking at high levels also offers protection but health experts warned this could damage other organs and cause premature death. The latest study on more than 41,000 people was published in the journal Heart.
Spanish researchers questioned people on their lifetime drinking habits and how much they had drunk in the year prior to the start of the study.
People were classed as never drinkers, former drinkers, low drinkers (0 to 5g of alcohol a day), moderate drinkers (5 to 30g a day), high drinkers (30 to 90g a day) and very high drinkers (more than 90g a day). In the UK, one unit of alcohol measures 8g.
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The number of coronary problems suffered over 10 years was recorded by the experts and analysed according to how much people drank. The results showed moderate drinkers could cut their risk by 51%, by 54% among high drinkers and by 50% among very high drinkers.
Cathy Ross, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "Whilst moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of having a heart attack, coronary heart disease is just one type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, is associated with high alcohol intake and can lead to a poor quality of life and premature death. The heart is just one of many organs in the body. While alcohol could offer limited protection to one organ, abuse of it can damage the heart and other organs such as the liver, pancreas and brain.
"This study does not change the message that drinking moderately can be beneficial to the heart but drinking in excess is harmful and a danger to your health generally."
Robert Sutton, professor of surgery at the University of Liverpool, said the finding that there was no relationship between alcohol and heart disease in women was "highly unusual" and suggested the need for more research.
