Gematigd alcohol drinken goed voor het hart voor senioren.*

Uit een studie onder 2.500 ouderen in de leeftijd van 70 tot 79 jaar blijkt dat het drinken van 1 glas per dag de kans op hartproblemen met 29% en de kans op doodgaan met 27% doet verminderen. Dit vergeleken met mensen die geen alcohol dronken. Deze voordelen zijn niet alleen te wijten aan de ontstekingsremmende werking doch ook aan andere nog onbekende zaken. Wel is zeker dat zij die veel meer drinken een veel grotere kans hebben op doodgaan door een hartprobleem.

Light Alcohol Consumption Good For Elderly Heart

Light to moderate alcohol consumption is linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease among the elderly, say researchers from the Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. This is yet another study highlighting the benefits of moderate drinking.
The researchers say the cardiovascular benefits are not only due to alcohol's anti-inflammatory effects. Several previous studies had found levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 are lower among light alcohol drinkers compared to those who drink nothing at all. C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 blood levels are inflammatory markers.
You can read about this latest study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, July 24 issue.
The team gathered information on 2,500 people, all aged 70-79. None of them had any type of heart disease. Half of them never touched a drop of alcohol while the other half were light to moderate drinkers. The people were followed-up for five-and-a-half years. During this period 307 of them died, of which 383 suffered a cardiac event.
The scientists discovered that those who drank up to seven alcoholic drinks a week were 27.4% less likely to die than those who abstained completely. Those who drank up to seven alcoholic drinks per week were also 29% less likely to experience a cardiac event.
Amazingly for the researchers, this lower risk still stood for people with higher levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in their blood. This means the benefits are probably not due to the anti-inflammatory effects of alcohol, but something else.
Lead researcher, Dr. Cinzia Maraldi, said people must remember that the benefits are only there for light to moderate drinkers. Heavy drinkers have a much higher risk of death or a cardiovascular event than light to moderate drinkers and those who never drink at all.
The team is now not sure why moderate drinking helps. The benefit may be at cellular level, or there may be genetic factors which interact with alcohol.
Impact of Inflammation on the Relationship Among Alcohol Consumption, Mortality, and Cardiac Events - The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study
Cinzia Maraldi, MD; Stefano Volpato, MD, MPH; Stephen B. Kritchevsky, PhD; Matteo Cesari, MD, PhD; Elena Andresen, PhD; Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, PhD; Tamara B. Harris, MD, MS; Anne B. Newman, MD, MPH; Alka Kanaya, MD; Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH; Nicolas Rodondi, MD; Marco Pahor, MD
Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1490-1497.
Link to Abstract  (Aug. 2006)