August 3/London/Daily Mail -- Does drinking a daily pint of beer lower the risk of heart disease?
That is what some scientists now think, following a study that found people who drank the equivalent of a pint a day had a lower risk of heart attack than non drinkers.
While mild to moderate wine consumption has already been shown to protect the heart, the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston revealed that beer has the same effect. Light drinkers those who had three drinks or fewer a week were estimated to have a 31% lower risk of dying from heart disease or stroke compared with non drinkers, while moderate drinkers women who had three to seven drinks and men who had three to 14 drinks a week were 38% less likely to suffer from these conditions.
Just how beer protects the heart is unclear. One theory is that vitamin B6 in the drink prevents the buildup of the amino acid homocysteine, which is linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
From the August 4, 2010, Prepared Foods' Daily News
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