I grew up hearing this, that if you drank a glass of wine a day, it was actually good for you.  It supposedly is good for your heart, almost like taking a vitamin.  A new study questions the validity of this theory and questions previous studies, which suggest consuming light amounts of alcohol (0.6-0.8 fluid ounces a day) may have a protective effect on cardiovascular health.

The study actually suggests that reducing the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed, even light amounts, may improve cardiovascular health.  From reducing risk of coronary heart disease, lowering body mass index and blood pressure.

This new study was published in the British Medical Journal, in conjunction with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

This new research reviewed evidence from more than 50 studies that linked drinking habits and cardiovascular health for over 260,000 people.  Findings concluded that individuals who carry a specific gene which typically leads to lower alcohol consumption over time have, on average, superior cardiovascular health records.  Showing that individuals who consume 17% less alcohol per week have on average a 10% reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower blood pressure and a lower body mass index.

"These new results are critically important to our understanding of how alcohol affects heart disease. Contrary to what earlier reports have shown, it now appears that any exposure to alcohol has a negative impact upon heart health," says co-lead author Michael Holmes, MD, PhD, research assistant professor in the department of Transplant Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "For some time, observational studies have suggested that only heavy drinking was detrimental to cardiovascular health, and that light consumption may actually be beneficial. This has led some people to drink moderately based on the belief that it would lower their risk of heart disease. However, what we're seeing with this new study, which uses an investigative approach similar to a randomized clinical trial, is that reduced consumption of alcohol, even for light-to-moderate drinkers, may lead to improved cardiovascular health."

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