Alcohol and Heart Disease

Light to moderate alcohol intake may be good for the heart.
The Los Angeles Times (3/22, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reports that new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology lends "credence to the idea that light to moderate alcohol intake appears to be good for the heart." In one report, investigators "analyzed eight studies encompassing 16,351 people with a history of heart disease." The researchers "found that those consuming five to 10 grams of alcohol per day (about one-half to one drink) had the lowest incidence of death from heart disease and all causes of death."
WebMD (3/22, Warner) reported that in a second study, researchers found "that light-to-moderate drinking -- about one drink per day for women and two per day for men -- reduced the risk of heart-related death in a diverse national sample of more than 245,000 adults." HealthDay (3/22, Edelson) also covered the story.