Drinkaware hits back at new study

The independent charity, Drinkaware has hit back at recent research that claims alcohol can lower heart disease in men by almost a third.

The Spanish research which studied more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women over a 10 year period was published in the British Medical Journal's magazine Heart. It revealed the protective effects of a alcohol are not limited to those who drink moderately but also include those who may consume higher levels.

Reacting to the findings, Professor Paul Wallace, chief medical adviser for alcohol charity Drinkaware, said:

"This isn't the first piece of research to show a protective effect of alcohol consumption on coronary heart disease, but the findings appear to fly in the face of other high quality evidence which suggests that above the current Government drinking guidelines, the more people drink, the greater their chances of developing heart disease. These new findings contradict a large number of similar international studies and should therefore be treated with caution. It is also curious that no beneficial effect on heart disease was seen in the women in this Spanish study.

 "It's really important that people don't use this research as an excuse to drink to excess.  Any possible benefits related to heart disease from drinking alcohol are likely to be far outweighed by the effects of excessive alcohol use in increasing the chances of developing different types of cancer, mental health problems and liver damage.

 www.drinkaware.co.uk

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