WHO KNEW?

Moderate Drinking May Help Male Heart
Oct 23, 2006(WebMD) Moderate drinking — half a drink to two drinks a day — may cut a healthy man's heart attack risk.

That news appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
It is based on a 16-year study that looked at the habits of 8,800 male health professionals.

The findings show that men who reported drinking half a drink to two drinks daily were least likely to have had heart attacks.

Researchers included Kenneth Mukamal, MD, MPH, of the Harvard School of Public Health and Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

However, the researchers aren't telling teetotalers to start drinking.

Instead, they urge doctors and patients to "weigh both the absolute risks and benefits of alcohol when discussing alcohol intake."

Alcohol consumption has pros and cons, and drinking doesn't replace eating healthfully, watching your weight, being physically active, and refraining from smoking.

"Our results suggest that moderate drinking could be viewed as a complement, rather than an alternative, to these other lifestyle interventions," write the researchers. (more)