A drink a day keeps heart attack and stroke at bay

Having one alcoholic drink a day could lower your stress levels—and reduce your risk of a heart attack, a new study has concluded.

Light drinking—one glass of alcohol a day for women, and two for men—reduces stress signals from the brain, and this could explain why cardiovascular disease is less prevalent among moderate drinkers, say researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital.

The researchers analysed data from more than 50,000 people, whose alcohol consumption and heart health were tracked.  They discovered that light alcohol consumption “substantially” reduced the risk of stroke and heart attack, and brain scans revealed that drink reduced stress signalling in the amygdala, the region of the brain that regulates our fear responses.

“When the amygdala is too alert and vigilant, the sympathetic nervous system is heightened, which drives up blood pressure and increases heart rate, and triggers the release of inflammatory cells.  If the stress is chronic, the result is hypertension (high blood pressure), increased inflammation, and a substantial risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said Ahmed Tawakol, one of the researchers.

And the positive effects of alcohol are twice as powerful in people who are chronically stressed or anxious; for them, the protective effect against stroke and heart attack doubled.

But alcohol is a double-edged sword, the researchers warn.  “We are not advocating the use of alcohol to reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes because of other worrying effects that alcohol has on our health,” said Tawakol.  Any amount of alcohol raises the risk of cancer and drinking more than the recommended 14 units a week increases the risk of heart attack and lowers brain activity, which could lead to cognitive decline as we get older.

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