That glass of wine or two may not be so good for you!

Dec 5 2005

New research from New Zealand suggests that the health benefits of alcohol are dubious.

According to the researchers any heart gains from drinking alcohol in moderation are highly likely to be outweighed by the harm.

They say, although past research suggests some heart benefits, their findings suggest that drinking a glass or two of wine a day may not be such a good idea.

The New Zealand team says previous studies published in the 1970s and 1980s which suggested alcohol, in moderation, could be good for the heart, were flawed.

They say there is more evidence that heavier drinking provides the most heart protection; alcoholics apparently have relatively 'clean' arteries.

Lead researcher Dr Rod Jackson, from the University of Auckland, and his team say any coronary protection from light to moderate drinking will be very small and unlikely to outweigh the harm, and the other health risks definitely outweigh the benefits.

It seems that while moderate to heavy drinking is possibly coronary-protective, any benefit will be overwhelmed by the known harms.

Jackson says the public health message is clear and it should not be assumed there is a window in which the health benefits of alcohol are greater than the harms.

It appears that those conclusions were arrived at by pooling the findings from different studies, which suggested a 20% to 25% reduction in heart disease risk linked to light drinking.

But according to Dr Jackson's team the way the studies were carried out did not allow the researchers to be able to say with certainty that the findings could not due to other factors rather than solely the amount of alcohol consumed.

Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation says the study suggests that light to moderate alcohol consumption may only give a small amount of protection against coronary heart disease, while the benefits of moderate to heavy drinking are likely to be outweighed by the overall harm that alcohol can cause.

She also says there does not appear to be any evidence to suggest that light to moderate alcohol consumption will actually harm the heart, however over indulging can have an adverse effect on your health.

Linden says people should not be encouraged to start drinking specifically to protect their heart, as there are much safer options and their advice remains that the best way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to quit smoking if you smoke, increase levels of physical activity and eat a healthy balanced diet.

The study is published in The Lancet.