Moderate Alcohol Good for Feminine Hearts

Epidemiologists at the University of Buffalo have found that women who regularly partake of an alcoholic drink or two are at much lower risk of having a heart attack as compared to women who don’t drink. The study findings further confirm the heart healthy benefits of alcohol.

There have been several studies on the effect of alcohol consumption on the heart and many of these have shown that moderate consumption of alcohol lowers heart attack risk. Most studies however have focused on men with women’s alcohol consumption having been totally ignored.

The current study, led by Dr. Joan M. Dorn, is perhaps the first one to take into account the effects of alcohol on the hearts of women. The researchers examined alcohol drinking volume and drinking patterns of women who had been hospitalized due to a heart attack. These were then compared with data for age-matched controls without heart problems.

The researchers excluded from the study women who had already suffered a heart attack or had coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty, angina or a previous diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. A total of 320 heart attack patients and 1,565 controls were enrolled for the study conducted between 1996 and 2001.

Heart attack patients were questioned regarding their alcohol consumption during the two years immediately preceding the heart attack. This information covered the type of beverage consumed, the serving size of each beverage and the number of drinks consumed. Similar information was collected for the controls for a period two years prior to the interview.

The researchers took into account multiple variables. The study subjects were classified on the basis of their drinking volume. Women who had never had 12 or more drinks in their lifetime or during any 1-year period were classified as abstainers; those who hadn’t consumed at least one drink per month during the study period as non-current drinkers while all others were classified as drinkers.

The other variables that the researchers considered included total ounces of alcohol consumed; drinks per drinking day; drinking frequency; drinking primarily with food; beverage preference – wine, beer, liquor, or some of each; and frequency of intoxication – current drinkers who stated they drank enough to get drunk or very high, once or more a month, and less than once a month.

Analyses of the information collected revealed that women who drank moderately had significantly lesser risk of heart attack in comparison to women who abstained. Highest benefits were observed in women who had a single drink daily.

Women who drank with food or without as well as those who primarily consumed wine or a variety of alcoholic beverages were also found to be at lower risk than abstainers. A borderline increase in heart attack risk was seen in women who preferred liquor to wine. There were similar associations found in the analysis of patterns and volumes among drinkers only; these were however on the weaker side.

The researchers found that in general, moderate alcohol consumption was much more important than the actual amount consumed. A significant increase in risk however was observed in women who got drunk at least once a month. Such women were nearly at three times the risk of suffering a heart attack than abstainers.

“These findings have important implications, because heart disease is the leading cause of death for women,” said Dr. Dorn, an Associate Professor of Social and Preventive Medicine in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Women seem to have a quicker reaction to a smaller amount of alcohol, she noted, “Overdoing it is harmful, and what is too much depends on each individual. In some women, one drink can cause intoxication.” Dr. Dorn emphasized that their findings should not be used as a reason to begin alcohol consumption, because while alcohol may reduce heart risk, it increases risk factors for certain other conditions such as breast cancer.

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend that women start drinking, but among those who do, if they are concerning about heart health, the message is that a small amount is OK,” Dr. Dorn concluded in their study report which is published in the May issue of the journal Addiction.

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