Moderate drinking of alcohol may protect the heart – helping to prevent failure of the organ, researchers report today.
People who have a single daily drink were found to enjoy a 20% less risk of developing heart failure than non-drinkers in the latest study to link alcohol to heart health.
But the greatest risk of heart failure was found among people who had given up alcohol in the study reported in the European Heart Journal.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA, studied the fate of more than 14,000 people over 25 years – questioning them about alcohol consumption at regular intervals.
Researcher Professor Scott Solomon said the study did not prove that moderate drinking cut heart failure risk – because there could be other reasons for the link.
He said: “These findings suggest that drinking alcohol in moderation does not contribute to an increased risk of heart failure and may even be protective.
"No level of alcohol intake was associated with a higher risk of heart failure. However, heavy alcohol use is certainly a risk factor for deaths from any cause.
“The people who were classified as former drinkers at the start of the study had a higher risk of developing heart failure and of death from any cause when compared with abstainers. This could be related to the reasons why they had stopped drinking in the first place, for instance because they had already developed health problems that might have made them more likely to go on to develop heart failure.”
The British Heart Foundation said drinking alcohol was not the best way to protect the heart.
Christopher Allen, from the foundation, said: “Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of liver disease and some cancers, and excess amounts can also lead to cardiovascular disease.
“There are much safer and healthier ways to protect your heart like exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet, so there’s no reason to start drinking if you don’t already."
Alexandra Gonçalves et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of heart failure: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. European Heart Journal 20 January 2015; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu514
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