Drinking small amount of alcohol everyday seems to reduce plaque buildup in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. In previous studies, moderate alcohol use has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. Researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam conducted a study of 1795 subjects who did not have heart disease. They were evaluated with CT scans to look for calcium deposits in the coronaries, an indicator of plaque build-up. Seventeen per cent of subjects consumed one or two alcoholic drinks everyday. Sixty-two per cent of subjects consumed less than this amount and 21 per cent consumed more. Subjects who consumed one or two drinks per day had less calcium deposits, whereas non-drinkers had the most. Other subjects fell between these two extremes.
Archives of Internal Medicine,
November 2004