Drink half a dozen beers every day and have a healthier heart

[IndianaGreen]

Drink half a dozen beers every day and have a healthier heart

Teetotallers more likely to have heart attack than drinkers, study shows

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Thursday, 19 November 2009

Drinking a bottle of wine a day, or half a dozen beers, cuts the risk of heart disease by more than half in men, it has been shown.

In one of the largest studies of the link between alcohol and heart disease, researchers have found that the protective effects of a daily tipple are not limited to those who drink moderately but also extend to those who consume at what are conventionally considered to be dangerously high levels.

The researchers, who are from the public health department of the Basque government in San Sebastian, a region with one of the highest drinking rates in Europe, warned that alcohol caused millions of deaths a year around the world from other causes and their findings should not be taken as a licence to drink to oblivion. British scientists said the study, published in the journal Heart, was "flawed".

The research was conducted among 15,000 men and 26,000 women aged from 29 to 69 who were followed for 10 years.

The results showed that those who drank a little – a glass of wine or a bottle of beer every other day – had a 35 per cent lower risk of a heart attack than those who never drank. Moderate drinkers, consuming up to a couple of glasses of wine a day or a couple of pints of ordinary bitter, had a 54 per cent lower risk.

The surprise was that heavy drinkers consuming up to a bottle of wine or six pints of ordinary bitter had a similar 50 per cent reduction in risk of a heart attack to moderate drinkers. Those drinking at even higher levels were still half as likely to suffer a heart attack as the teetotallers.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drink-half-a-dozen-beers-every-day-and-have-a-healthier-heart-1823218.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. yeah, if the heart attack don't get ya

the cirrhosis will.......

[rurallib]

2. Having been stone sober for aboutr 20 years I may have a hard sell

with the wife on this one. But.......
Do you think medicinal beer will be covered in the new health care bill?

[Indenturedebtor]

11. Go for broke: tell her that beer promotes relaxation which promotes sex

which is good for everyone :D

[rrneck]

3. It's a great stress reliever. nt

[RKP5637]

4. Caught my attention! n/t

[Richard D]

5. And tomatoes, when cooked, are also healthy

mmmmm, pizza and beer - the new health foods.

[teenagebambam]

6. Enough about wine and beer...

....what about my sweet, sweet vodka?

[Xipe Totec]

7. Basques? Why didn't you say so?

Of course!

They are a different branch of humanity!

[jaysunb]

8. Didn't work for me.....

I've had 2 heart attacks in the past 15 years. I continue to drink the 6 pack a day and have the gut to prove it....which is another health issue. :evilgrin:

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Yikes! I'll have to inform the group at my next AA meeting...

I'm not kidding. The kinds of deaths that these folks have witnessed are pretty horrific. We lost the leader of my favorite meeting two weeks ago. And he was sober, but the abuse takes its toll. He was 53. ;(

[Dennis Donovan]

13. Buzz Killington - is that you?

:evilgrin::rofl:

[Rhiannon12866]

14. Yikes! Is it that obvious?!

I was afraid of that... :blush:

But wait, it gets worse... :hide:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2535

[Dennis Donovan]

15. Another fictional character comes to mind:

:evilgrin::hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

16. Oh, no!!!

I hate that. x( :rofl:

But you have to admit, it's a coincidence. I'd also like to see "My Name Is Bill W." but I guess you have to go to rehab to see that... :shrug:

[malakai2]

10. Okey dokey

"Those drinking at even higher levels were still half as likely to suffer a heart attack as the teetotallers."

That settles it. I'm taking my hollow leg to the bar this weekend. And to think I actually listened to people who said alcohol was bad for me.

[tabatha]

12. Probably what drinking has done is help

fix problems caused by a poor diet.

Nuts are also good for the heart, and don't hurt the liver.