oderate consumption of alcohol shows benefits to the health. In particular, evidence suggests that cardiovascular risk might decrease with moderate consumption of any ethanol containing drink. Ethanol may be beneficial at reducing cardiovascular disease because it can increases the fluidity of cell membrane and may decrease platelet aggregation. Broadly, all ethanol containing drinks appear to be beneficial, but those containing high concentrations of flavonoids, such as cider and wine, may show additional benefits. Studies that have shown no benefit for alcohol consumption tend to have grouped subjects into broad categories, such as high, medium and low intakes. This had had the effects of grouping together individuals with different drinking habits; such as those having one drink a day per week and those having seven drinks on one day every week. However, those studies that have separated frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption shown beneficial effects.
For example1, researchers investigated the alcohol consumption patterns for 11,511 subjects who had suffered an acute myocardial infarction and compared them to 6077 controls. The authors adjusted the data for the effects of age, smoking and medical history in order to remove confounding variables. The adjusted data showed that men and women who consumed 1 or 2 drinks of alcohol on 5 or 6 days of the week had a reduction in the risk of coronary events compared to men and women who were non-drinkers. Excluding non-drinker who were previously heavy drinkers did not alter the significance of the reduction in risk of coronary events. Interestingly, a protective effect of alcohol consumption was found in those who consumed one or two drinks 24 hours preceding the onset of symptoms, suggesting that alcohol may have almost immediate beneficial effects that last at least 24 hours.
That moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease has been demonstrated in multiple studies. The benefits of alcohol seem to depend on how much is consumed and how often it is consumed. Blood pressure may increase with frequency of consumption, rather than the quantity consumed. However, because alcohol causes temporary changes to the fibrinolytic process that only lasts around 24 hours, frequent consumption is required to see a benefit. This explains why those who frequently consume alcohol see a beneficial effect, whereas those who consume large quantities on a single day will see a reduction in fibrinolytic activity only for the proceeding 24 hours. Following cessation of drinking, the risk of a coronary event will rise again, until another drink is consumed. Heart attacks are more likely to occur in the morning, and so drinking in the evening may provide protection at this vulnerable time.
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