What researchers say about alcohol..

Recent medical studies have found that drinking small amounts of alcohol, especially red wine, lowers the risk of a heart attack. This is good news for anyone who enjoys a little Chianti with their chicken. But the news also raises other questions. Does alcohol provide other protective health benefits? And can protection come with red wine only?

Another study revealed that having two alcoholic drinks a day offers more than double the protection from cardiovascular diseases than one drink provides. In the long term, having one drink a day lowers your risk by 5%, but having two cuts it by 10-13%.

The risk of a heart attack lowers because alcohol reduces the detrimental effects of elevated blood cholesterol while also preventing clot formation. In this study levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) lowered, as did triglyceride levels: High levels of either raise the risk of heart disease. Other studies show that moderate drinking may increase the levels of protective (high density lipoprotein, or HDL) cholesterol.

The results are especially significant for women over 50 years of age since a woman’s risk of heart disease rises sharply after menopause.

The mechanisms by which alcohol protects are still unclear, but some researchers note that because red wines in particular contain certain polyphenols, which can act as antioxidants-reveratrol being the prime example- they can be expected to protect cells from damage that normally occurs when the body uses oxygen. It is believed that oxidation of LDLs is what causes blood vessels to clog. The polyphenols may also fortify LDL cholesterol against oxidation.

It is not just the red wine that’s protective. The results of several studies have linked the moderate consumption of alcohol with a 32% lower risk of heart attack, and a decrease in stroke of 20-28%. Results from other studies also suggest that people who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol daily significantly lower their risk of diabetes also!

Disclaimer: All the information posted here is based upon medical facts and studies which were done for alcohol on various volunteers as well as from the data collected from general health studies. No information has been modified in any way.