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Moderate but regular alcohol consumption significantly reduces the risk of stroke
Many people in Germany like to drink a so-called after-work beer. But how does this regular consumption of alcohol affect our health? Researchers have now found that consuming a moderate amount of beer or other alcoholic beverages daily can reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Pennsylvania State University researchers found that daily intake of moderate amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. The physicians published the results of their study at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016 in New Orleans.
In general, regular drinking does not have a particularly good impact on human health. Researchers have now found that alcohol in modest amounts can have a positive effect. Consumption slightly reduces the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. (Image: WavebreakmediaMicro / fotolia.com) Physicians examine more than 80,000 subjects
For their study, researchers at Pennsylvania State University examined more than 80,000 healthy Chinese adults over a six-year period. During the study, participants answered questions about their drinking habits and, in total, gave a blood sample four times for analysis. This allowed physicians to measure what is known as HDL cholesterol, also known as good cholesterol, as well as liver function and inflammatory markers in patients.
Alcohol consumption in moderate amounts reduces the decline in HDL levels
When patients drink moderate amounts of alcohol, this leads to a smaller decline in HDL levels. Drinking seemed to slow down the natural decline in participants' HDL levels through aging, the experts explain. When people drank no alcohol at all or consumed large quantities, these benefits could not be observed.
Increased HDL concentration reduces the likelihood of atherosclerosis
The finding is quite significant because elevated levels of HDL particles can be associated with a diminishing chance of developing atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis), the researchers explain. This disease can lead to strokes and cardiovascular disease.
Less fatal heart disease has been noted in moderate drinkers
If you look at deadly and non-fatal heart disease, moderate-drinking people regularly have lower rates of these diseases compared to abstinent people, says author Shue Huang of Pennsylvania State University. Therefore, there is now one more reason to approve a drink every now and then without a guilty conscience.
Positive effect is the strongest for beer drinkers
Although the positive trend applies to both beer and other spirits, the observed effect was stronger for beer drinkers, say the authors. However, the researchers could not gather enough data to determine the effect of wine consumption. There were simply too few wine drinkers among the participants.
Further research is urgently needed
There is an urgent need for further research to determine if the association between the consumption of alcohol and HDL values also exists for non-Chinese people, explain the physicians. In addition, it must be checked whether there are really significant and clinically relevant results based on the type of alcohol consumed.
No call for alcohol consumption
The American Heart Association recommends consuming moderate amounts of alcohol if you already consume alcohol more often. However, if you do not drink alcohol, the result of the study is not to be understood as a call to alcohol consumption, even if this may result in slight benefits for the cardiovascular system. (As)