How Alcohol Helps the Heart?

Robert W. Griffith, MD

It's widely recognized that moderate alcohol intake (2 drinks a day for men, 1 for women) is linked to decreased cardiac health problems. This has been attributed to higher levels of the 'good' cholesterol - high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggests another role for alcohol.

The size of both HDL and the 'bad' cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) particles in the blood may be increased by an increased alcohol intake. This was based on analyses from of 1,850 healthy people aged 65 or older. The researchers studied the different subclasses of LDL and HDL particles. Alcohol intake (one or more drinks a week) had the highest number of large LDL particles, and with an intake of 2 drinks a day there was the lowest number of small LDL particles.

The effect of alcohol was similar for HDL - more large-and medium-sized particles - but less than that for LDL. (In addition, just to complicate things further, there were more small and medium-sized very-low-density-lipoprotein [VLDL] particles with alcohol use.)

According to the researchers, larger HDL particles have been linked to improved resistance to disease, whereas larger LDL particles are less effective in promoting disease. This means that the higher number of large LDL particles and the lower number of small ones resulting from moderate alcohol intake could well be responsible for the reduced heart disease found.

We are gradually beginning to understand how a little alcohol can help our cardiovascular health. That entitles us to say "Cheers!"

Source
HealthandAge Blog

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