Is Alcohol Good For You?

A recent article in the British Medical Journal (reference 1) titled "Regular drinking might explain the French paradox" raises the issue of whether the beneficial effects of alcohol drinking are responsible for improving heart health in the French population. The "French Paradox" is the relatively low rate of heart disease for a population (French) that typically eats a fatty cuisine but doesn't have a disproportionally high rate of heart disease.

For more than a decade, studies have been published indicating that moderate alcohol drinking has beneficial effects. Reference 2 is an example of a recent study: the study tracked about 37,000 male health professionals over a period of 12 years. The study found that men who had drinks* on 3-4 days a week had a Risk Ratio of 0.68 (Margin of Error between 0.55 to 0.84) compared to men who consume less that one drink per week. For those who consumed drinks 5 to 7 days a week, the risk ratio is 0.63, (with a Margin of Error between 0.54 to 0.74). The results indicate that (within the Margin of Error) there is little difference whether one, two or three drinks are consumed each day. So in summary, the study claims that two factors are required to achieve a significant risk reduction:

1. Have an alcoholic drink at least three days a week

2. Have one to three drinks on each of those days

The study specifically cautions individual patients to be very careful about the myriad of other effects associated with alcohol consumption, and to discuss alcohol use with their physicians in order to make individualized decisions about appropriate consumption.

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