Beer me: Can booze help heart health?

(AUSTIN, Texas ) —Moderate drinkers could experience some heart health benefits from having a daily brewski. 

A new American Heart Association study suggests drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may slow the decline of a protector of your heart—good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

Caitlin Giesler, MD, is a cardiologist at Seton Heart Institute, part of Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system, and the world’s largest Catholic health system. Giesler said the study helps explain why people may experience a benefit from moderately drinking alcohol.

“HDL is a good protector of cholesterol that tends to decrease over a person’s lifetime—you lose that protection,” Giesler said. “If moderate drinking may prevent some of that decline, it could explain why there can be some benefit to alcohol intake as far as heart health. We know that moderate drinking does possibly correlate with reduced risk of heart disease. The mechanism is not totally understood but this study may explain why that is.”

The study grouped the 80,000 adult Chinese participants by how much they reported drinking, from never to more than one serving daily for women and more than two daily for men. Findings showed:

• All participants experienced a decrease of HDL over time.
• Moderate drinkers had the slowest decline.
• Heavy drinkers had very little HDL benefit.

Drinking moderately

The American Heart Association recommends limiting alcohol intake to one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. One drink is equivalent to one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. wine or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

Dangers of drinking too much include alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, suicide and accidents. So it is important to be careful about how much alcohol you consume.

What kinds of alcohol have cardiovascular benefits?

Booze benefits do depend on the type you like to drink, according to the study.

Research showed the most benefit of an HDL slow decline with moderate beer drinking. Hard liquor drinkers did not have as much of a benefit and there weren’t enough wine drinkers to test wine’s effects on HDL.

Giesler said if you’re already a drinker, then moderate alcohol intake is OK, but do not start drinking just to have heart benefits. Some of the best practices for optimal heart health include drinking a lot of water and following a diet with fruits, veggies and lean meats, she said.

What about red wine?

Because wine can help you wind down and lower stress levels, heart experts say a glass of vino can be good.

Research has shown that wine may contribute to lower death rates from heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. But the benefits shown in many of these studies may be because of good lifestyle habits like increased physical activity and a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats.

The American Heart Association says no direct comparison studies have been done to determine the effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.

About Ascension

Ascension is a faith-based health care organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2016, Ascension provided more than $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Approximately 160,000 associates and 36,000 aligned providers serve in 2,500 sites of care – including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia as part of Ascension’s Healthcare Division. Through its Solutions Division, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.

About Seton Healthcare Family

Ascension’s Texas ministry comprises Seton Healthcare Family and Providence Healthcare Network. The Daughters of Charity founded Austin-based Seton in 1902 and Waco-based Providence in 1905 as a sign of God’s unconditional love for all, and today strive to expand access to high-quality, low-cost, person-centered care and services. Seton operates more than 100 clinical locations, including four teaching hospitals that serve as training sites for Dell Medical School at The University of Texas. Seton conducts research in such areas as the prevention and treatment of stroke, traumatic injury, epilepsy and chronic condition management. Providence operates a major hospital; a psychiatric and substance abuse resource center; and a premiere community for independent and assisted living, long-term and sub-acute care. Both systems have strong cardiovascular and neuroscience programs. Seton, which operates Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, also is the regional leader in pediatric care. Together in 2015, Seton and Providence provided more than $450 million in charitable care. For more information, visit www.seton.net and www.providence.net.