Alcohol — Yes, All Types — May Be Good for Your Heart

Ever ordered wine in lieu of a beer because you thought it was better for your heart? If you were never a fan of pinot noir anyway, rest assured. Two studies fresh from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggest that moderately throwing back all types of booze may lower some people's risk of heart disease.

(Well, so long as they do so moderately.)

Yeah … but it's still better not to drink at all, you may be thinking. And you would be wrong. One of the most shocking findings from the research — spearheaded by Katalin Gémes — was that moderate drinkers' hearts fared noticeably better than teetotalers'.

I know, right?

Of the 60,665 participants whose drinking habits were tracked in the late '90s, the 1,588 who succumbed to heart failure tended to be alcoholics or total abstainers.

Yes, alcohol is technically a poison. But it seems that a little bit of what doesn't kill you can indeed make you (or your cardiovascular system) a bit stronger. So long as you don't go overboard, of course. (Which may be a bit harder for women because technically we're not supposed to consume more than ​one drink per day. Oh, and we're also supposed to avoid alcohol altogether if we're not on birth control.)

As Imre Janszky, the second author of the two massive studies, disclosed in a press release, part of how alcohol helps the heart is likely by increasing good cholesterol, although he acknowledged the line between boozing just enough to bring about these health benefits and the risk of raising your blood pressure by taking these studies' findings too far.

The upper limit for alcohol's benefits appear to be around five drinks a week. More was linked with increased risks of heart disease and death among study participants. Three to five alcoholic beverages may indeed be the sweet spot: This was the rate at which male and female imbibers in Gémes​'s studies saw a 33 percent drop in risk of heart failure. Not bad.​

Whether participants had a history of abusing alcohol also influenced the beneficial effects booze had on their bodies. Those who'd previously overdone it still seemed to be at an elevated risk of bad things happening in their chests, even if they'd learned to curtail their drinking to a reasonable range. And it's important to keep in mind that people who've consumed alcohol moderately most of their lives also usually do other things moderately outside of the bar. Think: exercise, keep sugars and fats in check, and balance their work lives with enough fun. You know the type.

So while happy hour may not be the latest trend in health just yet, writing off alcohol under the assumption it's never a good thing is officially misguided. (Unless you've had issues with it in the past, or have a medical or mental health condition that complicates this.)

Suffice it to say, enjoy your weekend. Responsibly, of course. And if you do happen to overshoot the moderation mark (no judgment) help a liver out by drinking some coffee.

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