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Washington: Men who
drink moderately have a lower risk of death than non-drinkers,
especially after surviving the first heart attack.
Study co-author Jennifer Pai, assistant professor of medicine at
Channing Lab, Brigham and Women's Hospital, said: "Our findings
clearly demonstrate that long-term moderate alcohol consumption
among men who survived a heart attack was associated with a
reduced risk of total and cardiovascular mortality.
"We also found that among men who consumed moderate amounts of
alcohol prior to a heart attack, those who continued to consume
alcohol 'in moderation' afterwards also had better long term
prognosis," Pai was quoted as saying by the European Heart
Journal.
Pai and colleagues looked at a subset of 1,818 men in the Health
Professionals Follow-up Study who had survived a first heart
attack between 1986 and 2006. They were followed for up to 20
years from the time of the heart attack. During this period 468
men died, according to a Brigham statement.
Looking at levels of alcohol consumption before and after the
heart attack, they found that the majority of men did not change
their drinking habits, and also that those who drank before and
afterwards tended to have a lower risk of death than non-drinkers.
"Our results, showing the greatest benefit among moderate drinkers
and a suggestion of excess mortality among men who consumed more
than two drinks a day after a heart attack, emphasise the
importance of alcohol in moderation," said Pai.
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