News at HSPHMiddle-aged women who regularly consumed one to two alcoholic drinks daily appear to have better overall health in old age compared to non-drinkers or women who drank sporadically or periodically binged, reports Qi Sun, research associate in nutrition at HSPH. Sun discussed his research findings with the Wall Street Journal after the study was presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Chicago on November 15.
Sun and his colleagues analyzed data from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Nurses’ Health Study on approximately 14,000 women who survived to age 70. Most of the participants were followed for 16 years. They reported 1,492 of the women “successfully survived,” meaning they did not have cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases or physical impairments and problems with memory or mental health. The researchers examined how much alcohol the women reported drinking at age 58. Those who had one to two drinks most days of the week were 28% more likely to survive to age 70 in good health compared with those who did not drink. Sun also found women who drank almost daily were generally healthier than those who drank just one or two days per week.
"You could argue this is a little more (alcohol) than the U.S. guidelines," Sun told the WSJ. Still, he added, walking 30 minutes a day provides even more health benefits than drinking alcohol.
While past studies have associated regular alcohol use with reduced risk of heart problems in men and women, groups like the American Heart Association recommend women drink no more than one drink a day (and one to two drinks for men) due to concerns about excessive drinking. The AHA also doesn’t suggest non-drinkers start drinking alcohol. Excessive drinking can cause liver problems and, according to studies, may increase breast cancer risk even at moderate alcohol consumption levels. A drink is considered a 12-ounce beer, an ounce of hard alcohol, or five ounces of wine.
Link to Wall Street Journal article
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