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A
drink or two of beer, wine or liquor
a day may actually
help protect your heart.
This is the finding of a new study. |
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The
study appeared in "The Journal of the
American College of Cardiology".
Researchers followed 5,595 people 65 and older.
They recorded their medical history and alcohol consumption
over seven to 10 years. |
| Compared
with those who abstain from alcohol, people who consumed one to six
drinks per week were about 16% less likely
to suffer from heart failure or die of cardiovascular disease.
Those who had 7 to 13 drinks per
week were about 30% less likely to have
these problems. |
| The
lower risk held even after statistically adjusting for smoking,
exercise intensity, body mass index, and having had a heart attack
during the course of the study, as well as many other variables. |
| A
drink was defined as one 12-ounce beer, one 6-ounce glass of wine,
or an ounce of hard liquor. |
|
Scientists
were not certain why alcohol had this
beneficial effect. Some conclude that
moderate amounts of alcohol cause dilation of the arteries.
This dilation improves blood flow. Heavy and prolonged
drinking, however, is a cause of heart disease. |
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People are now more free to set
their own limits. A rational healthy position can be realized
individually balance of drinking and abstinence. |
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