HHS HealthBeat (August 21, 2009)

Alcohol, fats, and women’s hearts

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

Drinking in moderation – no more than one a day for women or two a day for men – has a lower risk of heart disease.

Researchers know this but don’t fully understand why. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Luc Djoussé thinks part of it is in how alcohol affects fat in the blood, such as cholesterol. 

[Luc Djoussé speaks] "Moderate drinking was associated with  26 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease,  35 percent lower risk of total mortality, and 51 percent lower risk of cardiovascular mortality."

Djoussé says much of the decreased risk of cardiovascular disease could be linked to better blood fat numbers. But a lot is not yet known.

The study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

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

Last revised: May 7, 2011