Light to moderate alcohol consumption may be of health benefit to people with cardiovascular disease. This is the result of a study published by researchers from University College London in the British journal BMC Medicine. For this purpose, around 48,000 patients with heart disease were studied. Patients with heart disease who drank an average of six grams of alcohol per day showed a 50 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke and even death. Even among those who drank an average of eight grams of alcohol per day, the risk of death decreased by 27 percent compared to those who did not drink alcohol, according to the study. Even an increased alcohol consumption of up to 62 grams per day was not associated with an increased risk of heart attack. But the study warns: patients who have not previously drunk alcohol should not be encouraged to start light drinking, as negative effects on other health problems are known.
"Our results suggest that people with cardiovascular disease may not need to stop drinking to prevent additional heart attacks, strokes or angina, but that they may want to consider reducing their weekly alcohol consumption," study co-author Chengyi Ding told Reuters news agency.
(ru / source: drinksbusiness.com)