September Article
Moderation - Take It To Heart
By Bev Hillman
Vancouver Personal Training
Scientists have long known that moderate alcohol drinking can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, until recently, there has been little information available about the role that specific drinking patterns play in this relationship. Recent research from the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that drinking frequency is far more important to heart health than the amount or type of beverage.
The research showed that people who consumed alcohol at least 3 days per week had about one-third fewer heart attacks than did non-drinkers. Interestingly, the results were similar for those who drank less than 10 g of alcohol a day and those who consumed 30 g or more.
The type of alcohol consumed also turned out to be irrelevant. No single type of beverage conferred more of a heart benefit. Additionally, when and how the alcohol was consumed was insignificant; drinking without food was just as beneficial as drinking with meals.
Kenneth J. Mukamal, MD, MPH, theorized that the heart benefits of alcohol may be due in part to its ability to thin the blood. "We think it may be much like (taking) aspirin every day," said Mukamal. "A little bit of alcohol on a regular basis helps keep the (blood) platelets from becoming sticky and prevents heart attacks."
But, remember that the operative work here is moderate drinking. Moderate alcohol intake is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men; a drink consists of approximately 12 ounces (oz) of regular beer, 5 oz of wine or 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits.
The bad news is the dangers of heavy drinking are well documented. It can raise the risk of car crashes and other injuries, violence, suicide, high blood pressure, stroke, alcoholism, liver damage and increased risk of certain types of cancer! Even in small amounts, alcohol can decrease the absorption of certain nutrients and interfere with the effects of common prescription and over-the-counter medications.
In addition, alcoholic beverages contain considerable amounts of calories. For example, drinking one 12 oz regular beer a day adds more than 1,000 calories per week. That's more than 4,000 additional calories per month, amounting to an extra 10 pounds in a year!
What to do? If you don't drink now, it doesn't seem wise to start. If you do drink, moderation is definitely key.
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