Alcohol could boost heart health: Glass of wine could stave off ANGINA and heart failure A GLASS of wine a day can help to stave off heart conditions such as angina and heart failure, suggests new research. GETTYThe study showed that enjoying one alcoholic drink a day - a pint of beer, a double whisky or gin, or a small glass of wine - was linked to a lower risk of some - but not all - heart conditions or stroke.Researchers found that moderate drinking reduced the risk of several heart conditions more than not drinking alcohol at all.The Cambridge University-led team, whose findings were published in The Lancet, said their findings suggest a more subtle approach to the role of alcohol in heart health is needed. Moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of several, but not all, cardiovascular diseases The large-scale study of British adults was to investigate the theory that moderate drinking is thought to be associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with being teetotal or heavy drinking.

In Britain, moderate drinking is defined as no more than 14 units (112 grams) of alcohol a week.One unit of alcohol is about equal to half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider (3.6 per cent alcohol by volume) or a small pub measure (25 ml) of spirits. There are one and a half units of alcohol in small glass (125 ml) of ordinary strength wine (12 per cent alcohol by volume).Researchers from Cambridge University and University College London set out to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and 12 cardiovascular diseases by analysing electronic health records of 1.93 million healthy British adults.All the participants were free from cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, and non-drinkers were separated from former and occasional drinkers to provide additional clarity.After several influential factors were accounted for, moderate drinking was associated with a lower risk of first presenting to a doctor with several, but not all, cardiovascular conditions, including angina, heart failure and ischaemic stroke, compared with abstaining from alcohol all together.

GETTYBut the researchers said that it would be 'unwise' to encourage people to take up drinking as a means of lowering their cardiovascular risk over safer and more effective ways, such as increasing physical activity and stopping smoking.They said heavy drinking - defined as exceeding recommended limits - conferred an increased risk of first presenting with a range of such diseases, including heart failure, cardiac arrest and ischaemic stroke compared with moderate drinking, but carried a lower risk of heart attack and angina.Again, the researchers emphasised that the findings don't mean that heavy drinkers will not go on to experience a heart attack in the future, just that they were less likely to present with this as their first diagnosis compared with moderate drinkers.Dr James Nicholls, Director of Research and Policy Development at Alcohol Research UK, said: “This large-scale study provides strong evidence that the so-called ‘J-curve’ exists: meaning that, in most cases, moderate drinkers are less likely to suffer a heart condition than either heavy drinkers or people who don’t drink at all. "

It is an important contribution to the evidence on a controversial subject and its findings should be taken seriously." Unbelievable facts about alcohol Here are some cool facts about alcohol you probably did not know. GETTYDr Steven Bell, a genetic epidemiologist at Cambridge University, said: "This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect."He said it was the first time the association has been investigated on such a large scale and their findings have implications for patient counselling, public health communication, and disease prediction tools.good red wine for celebrationBut Doctor Kenneth Mukamal, Associate Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in the US, said the study 'does not offer a materially new view of the associations between alcohol consumed within recommended limits and risk of cardiovascular disease'.best wine with no sugar

Dr Mukamal added: "This work, however, sets the stage for ever larger and more sophisticated studies that will attempt to harness the flood of big data into a stream of useful, reliable, and unbiased findings that can inform public health, clinical care, and the direction of future research."Few drinks (save tea or coffee) divide the world so spectacularly as beer or wine. There’s no accounting for taste, of course – but there are subtle differences in the way they affect your body and determine your health. best wine stores in chicagoIs one more fattening than another? best wine for bloodHow do their heart benefits compare? best soils for wineAnd which gives the worse hangover?buy wine online portugal

BBC Future has combed through the data to bust some of the myths surrounding two of the world’s favourite drinks. Which gets you drunk more quickly?A pint of lager and a medium glass of wine both contain around the same alcohol content – two or three British units (16-24g). However, your descent into inebriation relies on that alcohol passing into your blood stream – and the speed at which this happens can depend on the type of drink. The speed at which you get inebriated can depend on the type of drink Mack Mitchell at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre recently asked a group of 15 men to imbibe different drinks on different days. He made sure that the alcohol content was precisely matched to their body weight – and ensured they drank the alcohol at precisely the same rate, over a 20 minute period. Unsurprisingly, spirits entered the blood stream quickest, leading to the highest peak in blood alcohol content – followed by wine (reaching a peak 54 minutes after drinking) and then beer (which peaked 62 minutes after the drink was finished).

In other words, a glass of wine will go to your head more quickly than a pint of beer.Verdict: Beer is less likely to lead to embarrassment View image of What drink is the more fattening? Which gives you the biggest paunch?At face value, the myth of the beer belly should be true. Alcohol itself contains calories, not to mention all the sugars that make our favourite drinks so tasty. And at around 180 calories, a pint of beer has 50% more energy content than a small glass of wine – enough to cause you to pile on the pounds.For moderate drinkers, however, the differences seem to be minimal. A recent review of studies concluded that neither wine nor beer drinkers tend to put on weight over the short-term. The authors noted, however, that the longest study had lasted just 10 weeks. The studies could have missed minor weight gain – and even 1kg (2.2lbs) over that period would eventually add up to a beer belly weighing 25kg (55lbs) over five years. That’s the equivalent to carrying 10 full-term babies.

(On the plus side, the commonly held view that beer may cause men to develop breasts is almost certainly an unfounded myth.)Verdict: Slim differences, but wine may have the edge View image of Hops or grape... which is the worst the following morning? Which gives the worst hangover?Despite their best efforts, scientists have yet to conquer the drinker’s most formidable foe: the hangover. We don’t even fully understand what causes it. Dehydration is likely to be an important factor (alcohol makes us pee more liquid than we take in) but it may also be caused by some of the byproducts of fermentation. Called congeners, these organic molecules give each drink its unique flavour and aroma, but they may also be toxic to the body, resulting in the throbbing head and nausea that usually follows a night of excess.In general, darker drinks are thought to contain more congeners. In fact, the evidence so far is ambiguous. Although certain dark spirits like bourbon do seem to produce a worse hangover than crystal clear vodka, different types of beer and wine so far seem to be equal.

So provided you haven’t turned to the hard stuff, you can’t blame your choice of drink for your agony.Verdict: Too ambiguous to call View image of (Credit: iStock) Which is better (or worse) for my health?We are often told that a glass of wine a day could help rejuvenate the body, reducing our risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. This life-giving sustenance is thought to come from “polyphenols” (found especially in red wine) that soothe inflammation and mop up damaging chemicals in the body. If drank in moderation, a glass a day really may keep the doctor away Beer is conspicuously absent from these health bulletins, but it too contains a fair share of polyphenols, and seems to offer modest benefits, akin to white wine but less than red wine. Clearly, none of this gives you a free pass to binge drink, but if drank in moderation, a glass a day really may keep the doctor away.Verdict: Red wine wins hands down, but beer may be better than no drink at all Overall verdict: When it comes to health benefits, wine edges it as the best medicine.