Monday, June 5, 2006
Daily Drinking Reduces Heart Disease in Men, But Does Not Work for Women
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Men who drink alcohol every day reduce their risk of heart disease as comapred with those who drink less frequently. But it does not hold the same for women. The amount of alcohol consumed by women leaves more impact.
© AFP/File Mike Clarke It has often reported that men who drink moderately have a lower risk of coronary heart disease than those who abstain but not much research has been done on drinking patterns and risk of heart disease among women.
According to a new study men who drink alcohol every day have a lower risk of heart disease than those who drink less frequently. But the same is not true for women.
Researchers in Denmark studied over 50,000 men and women aged 50-65 years for an average of 5.7 years. Coronary heart events were recorded and results were adjusted for known risk factors, such as age, smoking, education, physical activity and diet.
Women in the study consumed an average of 5.5 alcoholic drinks a week which is half of what men consumed, 11.3.
The study found women who drank alcohol on at least one day a week had a lower risk of coronary heart disease than women who drank alcohol on less than one day a week. However, risks were similar for drinking on one day a week (36% reduced risk), or seven days a week (35% reduced risk), suggesting that the amount of alcohol consumed is more important than drinking frequency among women.
In contrast, for men, risks were lowest for the most frequent drinkers. For example, men who drank on one day a week had a 7% reduced risk, while men who drank daily had a 41% reduced risk. This suggests that it doesn't matter how much men drink, as long as they drink every day. Though harmful effects of heavy alcohol drinking far exceed the benefits of drinking on heart disease.
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