Drink Lightly, Live Longer
For men who avoid its risks, a little alcohol may extend life

(HealthDay News) -- A toast to moderation! Men who drink less than a glass of wine a day might live longer.

A study by Dutch researchers, presented at an American Heart Association conference, adds to a body of scientific literature suggesting that light-to-moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in men and women.

In this study, wine proved more beneficial than other types of alcohol.

"Consumers who already drink should do so lightly, one to two glasses per day, and preferably drink wine," study co-author Marga Ocke, a researcher at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, the Netherlands , told HealthDay .

The researchers followed 1,375 men, born between 1900 and 1920, for about 40 years. Alcohol consumption was reported seven times during that span, and the men were also asked about other health habits and whether they'd had a heart attack, stroke, diabetes or cancer.

Over the long term, light alcohol intake was associated with a 36 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 34 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death, compared with no drinking. Light drinking was defined as less than or equal to 20 grams a day of alcohol, or about 2 glasses a day.

Wine proved to be more protective than other types of alcohol. Men who drank about a half-glass of wine daily had a 40 percent lower rate of death from all causes and a 48 percent lower incidence of death from cardiovascular disease, compared with those who drank no wine.

And compared with those who abstained from all alcohol consumption, the wine drinkers had a life expectancy that was almost four years longer.

Still, the American Heart Association does not recommend drinking as a means of lowering one's risk of heart problems. Drinking too much alcohol can raise levels of blood fats (triglycerides), the group says, and can also lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and increased calorie intake.

"If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation," the heart association cautions.

And there's another reason to watch alcohol intake: It's been linked to sleep-related breathing disorders.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studied the alcohol and sleep habits of 775 men and 645 women. Men who habitually consumed more alcohol were 25 percent more likely to have mild or worse sleep-related breathing than men who consumed less alcohol. There was no significant association between alcohol consumption and sleep-related breathing in women.

For men, the heart association defines moderate drinking as one to two drinks a day. A drink is any one of the following:

• A 12-ounce beer
• 4 ounces of wine
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits
• 1 ounce of 100-proof spirits.

On the Web

To learn more about alcohol, wine and cardiovascular disease, visit the American Heart Association.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Marga Ocke, Ph.D., National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands; presentations, American Heart Association Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, Feb. 28-March 3, 2007, Orlando, Fla.; American Heart Association, news release, Feb. 28, 2007; American Academy of Sleep Medicine, news release, April 15, 2007
Author: Karen Pallarito
Publication Date: April 30, 2008
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