Moderate drinking appears to be linked with lower risk of death following heart attack, researchers say today.
The findings were published in the European Heart Journal as a second report identified Europe as the world’s heaviest drinking continent.
It led to British experts warning that the findings should not be taken as a licence for heavy drinking.
A team led by Dr Jennifer Pai of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts, USA, examined the links between drinking before and after heart attack and death rates using figures on 51,529 US male health professionals.
Compared with non-drinkers, participants who had had a heart attack and who had about one drink a day had a 22 per cent reduced risk of death from all causes. The risk was 34 per cent lower for up to three drinks day, but similar to non-drinkers for more than this.
They conclude: "Long-term moderate alcohol consumption is inversely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among men who survived a first heart attack."
Dr Pai said: "We also found that among men who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol prior to a heart attack, those who continued to consume alcohol ‘in moderation’ afterwards had better long term prognosis."
But June Davison, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Before you reach for that bottle, remember, too much alcohol can do more harm than good.
"Drinking too much can affect how well the heart pumps. It can also cause high blood pressure and weight gain."
A World Health Organisation report yesterday found that European adults drink 12.5 litres of pure alcohol a year on average each. This is equivalent to 3 centilitres a day or more than two glasses of wine.
The heaviest drinking is in eastern Europe and the lowest drinking rate in Scandinavia – which still manages one of the highest rates of binge drinking.
Long-term alcohol consumption in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among survivors of myocardial infarction: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Pai, J. K., Mukamal, K. J. and Rimm, E. B. The European Heart Journal march 28 2012 doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehs047
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