Lower risk of heart disease from moderate drinking – as long as it’s consistent

MODERATE DRINKING has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a new study.

But the finding was most pronounced among people who drank moderately in a consistent way – those who had unstable drinking patterns were more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD). The research, published in the journal BMC

Medicine, examined data from six studies, including five from Britain, which examined people’s drinking patterns and their risk of developing CHD.

Data on more than 35,000 people was obtained, and they were tracked for an average of 12.6 years.

Overall, five per cent suffered a CHD ‘event’ during the follow-up period.

Alcohol intake was assessed at three different periods of time and then researchers used this data to determine each person’s 10-year alcohol intake trajectories.

The authors found that former drinkers had a significantly higher risk of CHD compared with drinkers who “always adhered to lower-risk intake guidelines”.

Among women, non-drinkers also had an increased risk compared with people who were “consistently moderate” in their drinking habits.

But the researchers cautioned that stability of drinking patterns was an important factor – those who drank moderately, but not persistently so, had a greater risk of developing CHD compared with those who consistently drank moderately.

“Overall, the findings from this study support the notion of a cardioprotective effect of moderate alcohol intake relative to non-drinking,” the authors, led by experts from University College London, wrote.

“However, crucially, stability in the level of alcohol consumption over time appears to be an important modifier of this association.”

Guidance from the British Chief Medical Officers states that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week .