Drink Up, Men

More good news for drinkers: A Harvard study has linked moderate alcohol consumption to a 40 percent reduction in the rate of heart attacks in men.

The study, carried out by Harvard affiliates at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard School of Public Health, was published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. It found that healthy men who consumed an average of one-half to two drinks per day were 40 to 60 percent less likely to have heart attacks than their teetotaling or heavier-drinking colleagues.

The type of alcoholic beverage consumed didn’t matter, said head researcher Kenneth J. Mukamal, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He added the amount consumed was more important in predicting risk of heart attacks.

Adam J. Kundishora ’08 said the study might make him “consider having a glass of wine or two at dinner, which I wouldn’t normally do.”

But, Mukamal warns, the study shouldn’t be used as an excuse for heavy drinking.

“The bulk of alcohol consumption in college occurs in binge drinking,” Mukamal said in a phone interview.

“I think it’s unlikely that people will use this study as an indication to drink heavily,” he added.

Ryan Travia, director of the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Services for the College, said he doubted the study would change students’ drinking habits.

“I haven’t encountered too many students who cite the medical benefits of drinking,” he said.

Other recent studies have found links between moderate alcohol consumption and lower rates of strokes and cardiovascular disease, but this study is the first to include only healthy men, proving that even those who eat well and exercise can benefit from alcohol intake. Previous studies made it difficult to tell if the reduced risk of heart attacks was related to alcohol consumption or lifestyle differences.

Mukamal added that his study might change the advice physicians give to their patients.

“Patients and physicians can look at this study and decide to consider alcohol consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle,” Mukamal said.

The subjects of the study were male doctors who met four characteristics of healthy lifestyles: moderate to vigorous physical activity, healthy diets, abstention from smoking, and regular intake of a multi-vitamin supplement.

Participants responded to surveys about their alcohol intake and well-being over a 16 year period.

Looking toward the future, Mukamal said that his ultimate goal is to run a clinical trial to establish a causal relationship between alcohol and heart disease.

—Staff writer Pamela T. Freed can be reached at pfreed@fas.harvard.edu.