By Stephen Lau and eidting by Stacey Sexton
A study conducted by Italian scientists shows that moderate beer consumption could help to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. The research, which appeared in the European Journal of Epidemiology, tested an estimated 200,000 people worldwide. Participants with varying levels of alcohol consumption were correlated with their risks of cardiovascular disease.
"In our research, we considered wine and beer separately. You first observe a reduction in cardiovascular risk with low to moderate drinking. Then, with increased consumption, you see that the advantage disappear, until the risk gets higher. The interesting part of our research is that, among the studies selected for this meta-analysis, there were 12 people in whom wine and beer consumption could be compared directly. Using this data we were able to observe that the risk curves for the two beverages are closely overlapping," says Simona Costanzo, leading author of the paper.
It is accepted that moderate consumption can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Moderate consumption is defined as about two glasses per day for men and one for women. Such consumption can reduce risk by 31% when compared to non-drinkers.
"What we are talking about is moderate and regular drinking. I don’t think we will ever stress this concept enough. Wine or beer are part of a lifestyle. One glass can be paired with healthy foods, eaten at the proper time, maybe together with family or friends. There is no place for binge drinking or any other form of heavy consumption,” says Augusto Di Castelnuovo, head of the Statistic Unit of Research Laboratories and a pioneer in alcohol epidemiological studies.
"The data reported in our meta-analysis cannot be extrapolated for everybody. In young women still in their fertile age, for example, alcohol can slightly raise the risk for some kinds of cancer. This could counterbalance the positive effect on cardiovascular disease and reduce the overall benefit of alcoholic beverages on health."
Even the positive effect of this popular drink on cardiovascular health needs to be further researched because the current study is not a clinical trial and it did not estabolish a causal relation to prove drinking beer would definitely reduce the cardiovascular disease.
Giovanni de Gaetano, director of Research Laboratories at Fondazione "Giovanni Paolo II," also notes that “Health and disease are conditions deriving from our lifestyle. New therapies and new drugs are extremely important. But a healthy life, with a strong attitude toward prevention, is the key element of the medicine in the years to come,"
Heart disease is expected to kill 23.6 million people by 2030. According to WHO, 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable. The following are ways to preserve heart health
Avoid tobacco consumption. Tobacco increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes every day of the week to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day and limit your salt intake to less than one teaspoon a day. This also helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
To know more about how to prevent a heart attack, websites the following websites are a valuable resource:
What can I do to avoid a heart attack or a stroke
http://www.who.int/features/qa/27/en/index.html
WHO programs on avoiding cardiovascular disease
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