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July 12, 2001
Should doctors advise non-drinkers to start?
In April, the Journal of the American Medical Association's editorial board noted the latest in a long line of evidence that a drink now and again might do you some good: "Growing evidence suggests that alcohol wards off heart disease by boosting levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, thinning the blood, or reducing insulin resistance." Now the July issue of Scientific American reports ("À Votre Santé," page 24) that the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption are finally getting through to the larger medical community. At one recent conference sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences, noted alcohol researchers Arthur Klatsky and Roger Ecker recommended one to three drinks per week, for people aged 21-49 who have coronary heart disease or two or more risk factors for it. In addition, they suggest that men over 40 and women over 50 who are at risk of heart disease should consider moderate imbibing, even if they currently don't drink at all.
In April, the Journal of the American Medical Association's editorial board noted the latest in a long line of evidence that a drink now and again might do you some good: "Growing evidence suggests that alcohol wards off heart disease by boosting levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, thinning the blood, or reducing insulin resistance." Now the July issue of Scientific American reports ("À Votre Santé," page 24) that the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption are finally getting through to the larger medical community. At one recent conference sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences, noted alcohol researchers Arthur Klatsky and Roger Ecker recommended one to three drinks per week, for people aged 21-49 who have coronary heart disease or two or more risk factors for it. In addition, they suggest that men over 40 and women over 50 who are at risk of heart disease should consider moderate imbibing, even if they currently don't drink at all.
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