Moderate drinkers have healthier hearts than non-drinkers

A drink a day keeps the cardiologist away.

People who booze regularly — albeit in moderation — are less likely to suffer heart failure and heart attacks than teetotalers, new research shows.

 

The buzzworthy study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine reveals that one alcoholic beverage a day reduced heart attacks by 28%.

The new research is consistent with two previous studies of the correlation between tipples and tickers. Both found that regular moderate drinkers are more heart-healthy than those who rarely, if ever, sip the sauce.

In fact, those who imbibed three to five times a week were one-third less prone to heart failure than those who never drank at all.

“It’s primarily the alcohol that leads to more good cholesterol, among other things,” researcher Imre Janszky tells The Spectator.

But he cautions that boozing can also raise blood pressure and other health problems, and emphasizes that drinkers sip in moderation.

“I’m not encouraging people to drink alcohol all the time,” he adds. “A little alcohol every day can be healthy for the heart. But that doesn’t mean it’s necessary to drink alcohol every day to have a healthy heart.”