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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Men, listen up! If you drink a moderate amount of alcohol, you may be lowering your risk of a heart attack.
Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston studied more than 8,000 healthy men for about 16 years. During this time, 106 men suffered heart attacks. Those who drank between 15 and 29 grams (about two drinks) per day had the lowest risk for heart attack, and those who did not drink at all had the highest risk.
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Because there are many risks associated with heavy drinking, doctors typically do not recommend that patients begin drinking alcohol to reduce their heart disease risk. They instead focus on proven lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise.
However, authors of this study conclude, "Our results suggest that moderate drinking could be viewed as a complement, rather than an alternative, to these other lifestyle interventions, a viewpoint espoused by some authors."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:2145-2150
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