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Moderate Drinking May Be Unhealthy After All

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

March 23, 2006

• Daily Glass of Wine in Middle Age Can Lower Cardiac Risk • Red Wine May Fight Prostate Cancer • Red Wine May Protect Against Colon Cancer • Light Wine Intake May Mean Longer Life • Moderate Drinking May Be OK for Men with High Blood Pressure • Moderate Drinking May Be Unhealthy After All • Cabernet Sauvignon May Reduce Alzheimer's Risk • Red Wine May Prevent Gum Disease

Here's to your health ... or maybe not. A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that moderate drinking may not be good for you. It may actually not prevent heart disease, despite a decade of evidence to the contrary.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from 250,000 Americans. They interviewed them on the phone in a 2003 survey.

Moderate drinkers did have healthier hearts, but here's the rub: they also had fewer other risk factors for heart trouble, like being thin, exercising regularly or having low blood pressure.

So, was it the booze or the exercise that helped prevent heart trouble? Probably a little bit of both.

A number of other studies have found that moderate alcohol intake does help prevent heart trouble, even if other risk factors are taken out of the equation.

And so -- two drinks a day for men, one for women -- hopefully red wine -- still makes sense.

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