Alcohol: Problems and Solutions

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Alcohol Consumption, Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

Moderate alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks by as much as 60% among men with hypertension or high blood pressure.

Medical researchers followed 11,711 male professionals with hypertension for 16 years. After adjusting for age, smoking, the use of blood pressure medications and other relevant factors, they found that men who consumed one or two drinks per day (beer, wine or liquor) lowered their risk of fatal heart attacks by 30%. As the consumption of alcohol increased, the risk of fatal heart attacks decreased, by up to 60% for those who consumed over 50 grams (over three drinks) per day.

Alcohol consumption also reduced the risk of non-fatal heart attacks.

 

Note: People should not consume alcohol heavily. Heavy or abusive consumption of alcohol is typically associated with negative health consequences. This web site does not provide any health advice and none should be inferred. All medical questions should be addressed to one’s personal physician.