Sunday,
22 June 2003
Drug Action Week 23–28 June 2003
ALL ALCOHOL HAS HEALTH BENEFITS, NOT JUST
RED WINE
A new study has found that the wide spread misconception that only
red wine is of potential health benefit has been further exposed as
a myth.
The new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine,
has found that the moderate consumption of all alcohol products, not
just red wine, can provide health benefits.
The study examined the association of alcohol consumption
with the risk of heart attacks.
It assessed more than 38,000 male health professionals
aged 40 to 75 every 4 years over a 12 year period about their consumption
of liquor, beer, red wine and white wine. The study, conducted at
Harvard University, found that:
| • |
Light to moderate
consumption of alcohol could reduce the risk of coronary heart
disease by 30% |
| • |
The absolute benefits of moderate
drinking will be most apparent among older adults at risk of heart
attack. |
The New England Journal of Medicine concluded,
“alcohol consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk
of coronary heart disease, regardless of the type of beverage”.
Executive Director of the Distilled Spirits Industry Council
of Australia (DSICA) Gordon Broderick, said medical science has found
that the potential health benefit of alcohol consumption is associated
with all alcohol products, be it spirits, beer or wine.
“Alcohol is alcohol, whether it has been brewed, distilled
or fermented,” Mr Broderick said.
“A typical serving of each of the different alcohol
beverages contains the same amount of alcohol, about 10 grams, and therefore
contains the same health benefit.
“A nip of scotch or a can of bourbon and cola has the
same amount of alcohol, and therefore the same effects, as a pot of
full strength beer or a glass of wine, ” said Mr Broderick.
