Moderate drinking lowers heart attack risk in women

Previously we reported how moderate consumption of alcohol could reduce the risk of heart attack in men. This time it's the women's turn. A new study reported by the University at Buffalo has shown that women who "regularly enjoy an alcoholic drink or two have a significantly lower risk of having a non-fatal heart attack than women who are life-time abstainers." The report cautions that moderation is the key and that women who report being intoxicated at least once a month were nearly three times more likely to suffer a heart attack than abstainers.

"These findings have important implications, because heart disease is the leading cause of death for women," said Joan M. Dorn, Ph.D., associate professor of social and preventive medicine in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions and first author on the study.

The benefit of drinking over abstaining was not dependent on the type of drink nor whether it was drank with food or alone. The researchers cautioned that while there are cardiovascular benefits of drinking, alcohol consumption carries its own risks.