HHS HealthBeat (February 14, 2007)

A drink or two

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

This does not make alcohol just what the doctor ordered. But a study finds people with high blood pressure who have a drink or two a day have a lower risk of a heart attack.

Eric Rimm of the Harvard School of Public Health bases that on a look at data from more than 11,700 men with high blood pressure.

"Those who drank moderately had about a 30- to-40-percent lower risk of having a heart attack than those who abstained." (7 seconds)

The benefit was higher among those who had those drinks daily rather than rarely.

But more than a couple a day can cause health problems – including making high blood pressure worse. So Rimm says that, if you do it, don't overdo it.

His study in Annals of Internal Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February, 16 2007