Research continues to back the idea that a little alcohol may be good for the heart, experts said today.
Professor William Ghali and colleagues at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, reviewed 84 studies published between 1950 and 2009 on alcohol consumption and heart outcomes.
The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 25 per cent lower for alcohol drinkers than non-drinkers. Coronary heart disease risk was cut by 29 per cent and death from coronary heart disease by 25 per cent. The impact on stroke was not beneficial.
Full results are published today by the British Medical Journal. The authors report that the lowest risk of death from coronary heart disease was linked to one to two drinks a day. Further analysis of death from all causes showed a 13 per cent lower risk for drinkers than non-drinkers.
Also in the journal, another team from the same institution report on laboratory studies backing the idea.
Dr Susan Brien and her team looked at 21 biomarkers and found improvements in cholesterol, adiponectin [a protein hormone that regulates glucose], and fibrinogen [a protein involved in blood clotting]. This "provides indirect pathophysiological support for a protective effect of moderate alcohol use on coronary heart disease," they suggest.
In their opinion, consumption of up to one drink or 15g alcohol per day for women and up to two drinks or 30g alcohol per day for men is good for health.
But Cathy Ross of the British Heart Foundation added: "Drinking more than sensible amounts of alcohol does not offer any protection and can cause high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers and damage to our heart."
* The British National Health Service needs to make a massive improvement in the level of care it offers to problem drinkers, official guidance says today.
Just six per cent of England’s one million alcohol addicts currently received treatment, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The guidance comes days after senior doctors warned of a growing toll of liver disease caused by the English love affair with alcohol – pressing for new government policies.
But, according to NICE, health professionals need to overcome "stigma and discrimination" to ensure alcohol abusers get help.
It says people whose drinking is harmful should be offered psychological help.
When drinking passes 15 units a day – two and a half bottles of wine – patients should be offered a structured, assisted withdrawal programme. After patients complete the programme, they can be offered drug treatments, the guidance says.
GP Dr Linda Harris, who helped develop the guidelines, said: "For far too long, poor recognition of alcohol misuse has been a major barrier to effective treatment.
"The guideline calls for GPs and other frontline healthcare professionals to be competent enough to identify those who may be drinking harmful amounts or who may be alcohol dependent, so that everyone in need can receive appropriate treatment."
Dr Fergus Macbeth, of NICE, said: "People who suffer from alcohol dependence often face much stigma and discrimination in their day to day lives which can act as a barrier to them seeking help.
"Our guideline calls for all healthcare professionals who come into contact with these people to be appropriately trained to identify those in need and be able to offer them help in a trusting, supportive and non-judgemental environment.
"Improvements must be made across the NHS so that more people can be correctly diagnosed, assessed and treated for their dependence and harmful drinking patterns."
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