Alcohol Reduces Heart Disease Says U.S. Government

Research findings continue to confirm an association between moderate drinking and a lower rate of coronary heart disease (CHD), according to Enoch Gordis, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, following an extensive review of recent medical research.

With few exceptions, studies from at least 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia demonstrate a 20- to 40-percent lower CHD incidence among drinkers compared to nondrinkers. And moderate drinkers exhibit lower rates of CHD-related mortality than either heavy drinkers or abstainers.

The two largest of the many studies were conducted by the American Cancer Society; one included 276,800 men and the other included 490,000 men and women.