Gene helps alcohol help the heart
By John Travis
From Philadelphia, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics
A daily alcoholic drink and the right genes is one prescription for a healthy heart, suggests a new study. This finding builds upon previous research indicating that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages reduces a person’s risk of developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack, notes study coauthor Lisa M. Hines of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
Some investigators attribute this cardiac protection directly to alcohol. But others suggest that the protection stems from compounds called flavonoids, which are abundant in red wines, beer, and dark liquors, or from lifestyle factors associated with moderate alcohol consumption.