Monday, December 22, 2025

Mild to moderate consumption alcohol shows up to 50% less heart attack/clots rate due to OTHER lifestyle factors?

  •    Even at low levels, drinking was associated with higher BP, and cessation was associated with lower BP in both sexes. These findings suggest that alcohol cessation is a broadly applicable strategy even among light-to-moderate drinkers for BP management. In this large dataset, BP changes in women associated with consumption at levels as low at 0.5 to 1 drinks per day are detectable. 
  • Moderate Drinking (Temporary Effect): alcohol initiation was associated with modest cholesterol improvement, whereas cessation was associated with less favorable changes. Lipid Profiles After Changes in Alcohol Consumption Among Adults Undergoing Annual Checkups, March, 2025
  •  Moderate drinking can be associated with a 20–36% reduction in cardiovascular mortality compared to abstinence across various settings and populations
  •  totally fascinating - alcohol really does increase hdl cholesterol but it still lowers testosterone...
  • A small amount of alcohol can have a short-term, aspirin-like effect, reducing clot risk for ischemic strokes (due to blockages).  Wine had the biggest blood-thinning effect, followed by liquor and then beer. This may be because wine contains polyphenols, which can also decrease platelet activity. Drinking a glass or two of wine each day might reduce your riskTrusted Source for heart disease and strokes caused by blockages in blood vessels (ischemic strokes) in much the same way that taking a daily aspirin can prevent strokes. Drinking alcohol in moderation may have a protective effect on your blood vessels. Some research finds thatTrusted Source alcohol increases levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL, aka “good cholesterol”). This healthy type of cholesterol helps protect your arteries and prevent the blood clots that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. , moderate alcohol consumption is consistently linked to increased levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, boosting apolipoproteins like ApoA-I, which helps transport cholesterol out of arteries,... the liver is reported to be the major site of apoA-I synthesis25 and
    because alcohol increases apoA-I production  The levels of total high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and its HDL2 and HDL3 subfractions were strongly associated with alcohol consumption (P for trend, <0.001 for each). boosting apolipoproteins like ApoA-I also causes neurodegenerative diseases and memory loss...
  •  Our previous study revealed that APOH downregulation causes lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, which is exacerbated by alcohol and results in fatty liver disease
  •  We read with interest the recent meta-analysis by Khatiwada et al. on the effects of moderate alcohol intake on apolipoprotein (Apo) concentrations []. While we acknowledge the authors' synthesis of intervention studies, we have concerns regarding the interpretation of their findings, particularly the claim that “moderate alcohol intake has a protective effect on cardiovascular health.” This conclusion overstates the implications of Apo level changes and does not sufficiently account for the broader cardiovascular and systemic effects of alcohol consumption.  https://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(25)00176-0/abstract
  • main psychotropic effects of ethanol
  • Absorption: Ethanol enters your bloodstream from your stomach and intestines soon after you drink.
  • Distribution: It quickly spreads throughout your body's water content.
  • Metabolism (Liver's Role): The liver's ADH enzyme starts breaking down about 90% of this ethanol into acetaldehyde. 
  • The Bottleneck Effect
    • Constant Rate: Your liver metabolizes alcohol at a fixed rate, roughly 0.015% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) per hour, or about one standard drink (half an ounce of pure alcohol) per hour.
    • Saturation: Even a single standard drink can almost completely saturate the liver's ability to process it quickly.
    • Accumulation: If you drink faster than your liver can process, the unmetabolized ethanol builds up in your blood, increasing your BAC and leading to intoxication

  • Ethanol → (by ADH) → Acetaldehyde (toxic)
  • Acetaldehyde → (by Aldehyde Dehydrogenase - ALDH) → Acetate (less toxic)
  • Acetate → (further broken down) → Carbon Dioxide & Water
  •  acetate becomes acetic acid when it accepts a proton (

    H+cap H raised to the positive power
    ), and acetic acid becomes acetate when it loses one, especially in water where it exists as an equilibrium,

     https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6761693/
    heavy drinking may be the most common cause of potentially reversible hypertension in developed societies ()...the preponderance of evidence suggests that moderate drinking is associated with lower risk of ischemic strokes ().... A common manifestation of CAD [coronary artery disease] is angina pectoris,...Alcohol was widely presumed to alleviate angina by dilating the coronary blood vessels..... former drinkers had higher age-adjusted CAD and overall CVD mortality risk than lifelong abstainers, but the difference disappeared when adjusted for other traits. Among current drinkers, lighter drinkers had the lowest risk for both total CVD (i.e., cardiovascular diseases [CVDs]) deaths and CAD deaths

    https://www.massgeneral.org/news/press-release/large-study-challenges-the-theory-that-light-alcohol-consumption-benefits-heart-health

     Researchers have also suggested that red wine, in particular, might protect the heart, thanks to the antioxidants it contains. ...hard cider contains antioxidants like polyphenols and vitamin C from its apple base, which can help fight free radicals, similar to or even more than green tea or orange juice in some studies,... the body processes ethanol in stages, converting it first to toxic acetaldehyde, then to less harmful acetate (acetic acid), which is eventually broken down into carbon dioxide and water, though a small amount is excreted directly; Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants as part of their normal metabolism. It is also produced by oxidation of ethanol and is popularly believed to be a cause of hangovers from alcohol consumption...
    Acetaldehyde exposure from
    coffee is significantly lower (orders of magnitude) than the amount of acetaldehyde produced in the body during the metabolism of even a small amount of alcohol...Polyphenols in red wine and coffee may stimulate Acetaldehyde [AcAld] formation by acting as pro-oxidants in the presence of Heme/Mb/Meat....after the consumption of a red meat-rich diet with red wine, the fecal AcAld level significantly increased as compared to the levels associated with a diet of fish + wine, or red meat without alcohol.

     EtOH is the chemical abbreviation for ethanol,...Regarding colorectal cancer, a 13-fold greater amount of OH radicals is reportedly generated in human feces after a high meat and high fat diet with few vegetables, as compared to that after low meat and low fat diet with sufficient vegetables []. Persistent colonic ethanol, which is maintained for several hours after drinking [, ], may react with the OH radical generated in the colon to form AcAld. 

    Hydroxyl (OH) radicals react with acetaldehyde (
    CH3CHOcap C cap H sub 3 cap C cap H cap O
    ) primarily by abstracting a hydrogen atom, leading to various reactive intermediate radicals like the acetyl radical (
    CH3COcap C cap H sub 3 cap C cap O
    ) or the formyl methyl radical (
    CH2CHOcap C cap H sub 2 cap C cap H cap O
    ), which then drive further atmospheric chemistry, combustion processes, and even biological reactions, affecting air quality, ozone formation, and creating secondary pollutants like PAN (Peroxyacetyl Nitrate). This OH +
    cap C cap H sub 3 cap C cap H cap O
    reaction is a key pathway for cleaning the atmosphere and understanding fuel combustion

      browned fried foods generate acetaldehyde and other toxic aldehydes from the breakdown of fats (lipids) and sugars at high heat, which are reactive compounds linked to inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and cancer; these aldehydes get absorbed by the food and can be consumed, making oil choice and cooking methods crucial for reducing risk

     Lead author, PhD student Chengyi Ding (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care), said: “Our findings suggest that people with cardiovascular disease may not need to stop drinking in order to prevent additional heart attacks, strokes or angina, but that they may wish to consider lowering their weekly alcohol intake...."

     Nearly half of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with recent data showing around 48-49% affected, largely driven by high blood pressure, while globally, CVD causes about 32% of all deaths, with heart attack and stroke being the biggest killers. In the U.S., approximately 121.5 million adults deal with CVD, a figure expecting to rise to 60% by 2050...

      the supposed benefits of alcohol consumption may actually be attributed to other lifestyle factors that are common among light to moderate drinkers....Consistent with earlier studies, investigators found that light to moderate drinkers had the lowest heart disease risk, followed by people who abstained from drinking....The study included 371,463 adults—with an average age of 57 years and an average alcohol consumption of 9.2 drinks per week—who were participants in the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing in-depth genetic and health information.... less than six pints of medium-strength beer or just over one bottle of wine – could potentially confer some protective benefits.

    https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/jul/moderate-drinking-linked-fewer-heart-attacks-people-heart-disease 

    The studies, however, had some major flaws, including that people’s drinking was generally categorized only by their current behavior.

    “A lot of people who don’t currently drink are people who used to drink heavily, or who have health problems that led them to quit,” said Keith Humphreys, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the Esther Ting Memorial Professor. “That skews the data, making moderate drinkers look healthier by comparison.”

     “Any amount of alcohol increases your risk of certain cancers, especially those along the digestive tract – mouth, throat, esophagus, colon,” Humphreys said. “And for women, alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer.”

     Alcohol is metabolized to AcAld by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes, and then to acetic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). High incidences of oral, esophageal, stomach and colon cancers have been observed in ALDH-deficient subjects..., the results suggest that the AcAld enhancing effect observed in the model reaction could occur in vivo by the combination of red meat and wine....However, heavy drinkers of wine have high incidences of gastric cancer, as revealed by epidemiological studies in France, Portugal and Paraguay []. Prospective studies in large populations demonstrated that persons who preferred wine were more likely to develop colon cancer [, ]. Processed meats such as sausage, ham and salami are suspected to be higher risk factors for both gastric and colon cancers than red meat []. Other epidemiological studies suggested that the co-consumption of alcohol and red meat synergistically increases the colon cancer risk [, ].

     Weird how only ONE news channel for local news reports this? 

    “In the past 10 years or so, in my practice, I’ve added alcohol to the list of substances I recommend my patients either reduce or eliminate from their diet,” said Randall Stafford, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and director of the Program on Prevention Outcomes and Practices.

    Stafford and his colleagues said the choice to tip back a beer or forgo alcohol – like many lifestyle decisions – should involve weighing the risks and benefits of your behaviors. But they think the public should be made more aware of those risks, which include an increased risk of cancer from drinking moderate amounts of alcohol.... ethanol, the type of alcohol found in beverages, metabolizes into a compound called acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and other cellular components. When acetaldehyde builds up in the body, it can damage cells throughout the digestive system and beyond....

    Because acetaldehyde accumulates more quickly in people with the ALDH2 variant, they are at an increased risk of alcohol-related diseases, including cancer and heart disease, even at lower levels of alcohol consumption. This specific genetic variant is overwhelmingly concentrated in populations of East Asian descent, where frequencies can be as high as 40-50%...While about 40% of the South American Indian populations (AtacameΓ±os, Mapuche, Shuara) were ALSO found to be deficient in aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme I (ALDH2 or E2)

    “If you have this mutation, one drink can be the equivalent of four or five for someone else in terms of how much acetaldehyde accumulates,” he said. “For those individuals, the safest choice is to avoid alcohol entirely.”

    https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/08/moderate-alcohol-consumption-drinking-health-benefits-impacts-research 

    Alcohol Industry is spreading fake medical news? NO alcohol is good for the heart 

      The World Health Organization has made it clear that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, mainly due to the risk of cancer increasing from low levels of drinking, as Professor Britton mentions in this film

    TODAY show actually covered the 2023 Massachusetts hospital study showing low alcohol reduces heart clot risk... 

    But when you take into account OTHER factors like excercise, diet and smoking - then alcohol is NOT healthy at all - at any dose...

    Red wine drinkers probably have healthier OTHER life style factors.... (not smoking, not obese, exercise and better diet)...

     Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital say they have found that drinking alcohol in light to moderate quantities can actually be good for heart health due to the impact it has on the brain’s stress systems.

    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2816830

    lowering alcohol intake to mild to moderate level was associated with a 23% reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared with sustained heavy drinking. The most substantial risk reduction was observed in the outcomes of angina and ischemic stroke.

    Meaning  Findings of this study provide crucial evidence of the cardiovascular benefits of reducing alcohol consumption in people who drink heavily.

    https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001341 

     The available evidence suggests no risk to possible risk reduction when alcohol is consumed in low amounts (such as no more than 1 to 2 drinks a day) in regard to coronary artery disease, stroke, sudden death, and possibly heart failure.

     Bobak, M. et al. Alcohol, drinking pattern and all-cause, cardiovascular and alcohol-related mortality in Eastern Europe. Eur. J.
    Epidemiol. 31, 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-015-0092-8 (2016).
    5. Malyutina, S. et al. Relation between heavy and binge drinking and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Novosibirsk, Russia:
    A prospective cohort study. Lancet 360, 1448–1454. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11470-X (2002).
    6. Kang, Q., Sun, J., Wang, B. & Sun, B. Wine, beer and Chinese Baijiu in relation to cardiovascular health: The impact of moderate
    drinking. Food Sci. Human Wellness 12, 1–13 (2023).
    7. McEvoy, L. K. et al. Moderate alcohol use is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in middle-aged men independent of
    health, behavior, psychosocial, and earlier life factors. Nutrients 14, 2183 (2022).
    8. Ding, C., O’Neill, D., Bell, S., Stamatakis, E. & Britton, A. Association of alcohol consumption with morbidity and mortality in
    patients with cardiovascular disease: original data and meta-analysis of 48,423 men and women. BMC Med. 19, 167. http s : / / doi. or
    g / 1 0 .1 1 8 6 / s 1 2 9 16 - 0 2 1 - 0 2 0 40 - 2 (2021).
    9. Kohsaka, S. et al. Alcohol consumption and atherosclerotic burden in the proximal thoracic aorta. Atherosclerosis 219, 794–798. h
    ttp s :/ / d oi.org/ 1 0. 1 0 1 6 /j. athe ro scle ro s is. 20 1 1 .0 7 . 1 2 9 (2011).
    10. Brien, S. E., Ronksley, P. E., Turner, B. J., Mukamal, K. J. & Ghali, W. A. Effect of alcohol consumption on biological markers
    associated with risk of coronary heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies. BMJ 342, d636.
    https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d636 (2011).
    11. Kelso-Chichetto, N. E. et al. The impact of long-term moderate and heavy alcohol consumption on incident atherosclerosis among
    persons living with HIV. Drug. Alcohol. Depend. 181, 235–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.09.034 (2017).
    12. Getu, A. A. & S. G.,. Regular moderate alcohol consumption reduces the incidence of cardiovascular diseases: Review of evidences
    and plausible mechanisms. Int. J. Cardiovasc. Res. https://doi.org/10.37532/icrj.2020.9(4).406 (2020).
    13. Golan, R. et al. Effect of wine on carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes: A 2-year randomized controlled trial. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr.
    72, 871–878. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0091-4 (2018).
    14. Mukamal, K. J. Understanding the mechanisms that link alcohol and lower risk of coronary heart disease. Clin. Chem. 58, 664–666.
    https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2011.181628 (2012)

     15. Rosales, C., Gillard, B. K., Gotto, A. M. Jr. & Pownall, H. J. The Alcohol-High-Density Lipoprotein Athero-Protective Axis.
    Biomolecules https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10070987 (2020)

     

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