There is a growing body of research suggesting that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may actually be healthy for the heart. One of the most convincing studies comes from researchers at Harvard's School of Public Health. As part of a continuing stuy over the course of two years, they looked at 44,000 men between the ages of 40 to 75 (mostly dentist and veterinarians) and found that those who drank light to moderate amounts of alcohol had 25-to 40-percent lower chance of developing heart disease.
Moderate drinking was defined as one or two drinks a day, a standard drink being 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof spirits.
The researchers attributed alcohol's beneficial effects to its ability to raise HDL cholesterol, the "good" type that protects against coronary artery disease. While some scientist have questioned whether alcohol raises the type of HDL that is cardio-protective (some types apparently aren't), the Harvard researchers concluded that it does. But additional factors may also be involved: Some reserchers have suggested that alcohol may also lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, for instance, or help prevent the excessive blood clotting that can cause a heart attack. One thing is certain, however: Only light to moderate drinking may benefit the heart. Drinking a lot of alcohol is a good way to cause heart disease.
Other studies, however, have found that only certain types of alcoholic beverages protect against heart disease. For instance, a small French study found that only red wine was cardio-protective, and recently scientists from Cornell University claimed to identify the special chemical in red-wine grapes responsible for this benefit. Another study of mor than 81,000 drinkers found that those who drank wine- red or white- had the lowest risk of coronary disease. But the reserch pointed out that they could not rule out the possibility that wine drinkers may have other traits (such as a more healthful diet) that protect them.
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