Reverse Heart Disease in 24 days (11)

Hi all,

Eleventh day - time to drink up, in moderation.....

I am talking about alcohol drinking, about 1-3 oz a day which is approximately 1/8th to 3/8th by volume of a standard cup or glass. Studies have indicated that this level of consumption can lead to a significant reduction in heart disease risk (20 -40 percent reduction), especially in men over 40 and and women after menopause. However, there are some caveats - there shold be no issues with alcohol, including binge drinking or alcoholism. Also you should not have hypertension.

Researchers are not fully sure how alcohol can lead to this reduction, but have put forward some possible reasons:

- increasing elasticity in blood vessel walls, helping blood vessel dilation and thereby reducing blood pressure.

- helping to reduce blood clot formation by decreasing blood stickness and reducing blood platelet clumping.

- Reduces the risk of a heart attack by helping dilate coronary arteries

- It may protect you from a second heart attack

- Red wine seems to be more protective against heart disease than other alcohol types like beer or spirits for the same levels of drinking. This may be because red wine contains chemicals called procyanidins which help provide the protection. However, people who drink red wine also tend on average to make healthier lifestyle choices - smoking less, eating better, for instance, so the evidence is not so clear cut.

So the message is (as you would expect) drink alcohol, especially red wine in moderation....


To your abundant excellent health,


Dr Ike
Holistic Health Mentor and Functional Health Expert.


Sources:

Corder, R, Mullen, W et al 2006, ‘Oenology: Red wine procyanidins and vascular health’, Nature, vol. 444, no. 7119, p.566.

de Lorgeril, M et al 2002, report published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, 2002, reported by McCook, A. ‘Light drinking may lower 2nd heart attack risk’. Reuters (September 3, 2002).

Duke University Center for Integrative Medicine

Emeson, E, Manaves, V, Singer, T et al 1995, ‘Chronic alcohol feeding inhibits atherogenesis in C57BL/6 hyperlipidemic mice’, American Journal of Pathology 147(6), pp. 1749-1758.

Hammerstone, J, Lazarus, S & Schmitz, H 2000, ‘Procyanidin content and variation in some commonly consumed foods’, Journal of Nutrition 130, pp. 2086-2092.

Mukamal, K, Chiuve, S & Rimm, E 2006, ‘Alcohol consumption and risk for coronary heart disease in men with healthy lifestyles’, Archives of Internal Medicine, vol. 166, no.19, pp. 2145-2150.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 1999, Alcohol Alert, no. 45, October, http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa45.htm

Prevention: http://www.prevention.com/health/health/health-concerns/reverse-heart-disease-in-24-days/article

Rubin, R 1999, ‘Effect of ethanol on platelet function’, Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research 23(6), pp. 1114-1118.

Zimlichman, R, ‘Arterial stiffness in health and in disease’, American Journal of Hypertension, vol. 17, issue 5, p. S139.