Moderate alcohol consumption and risk for angina pectoris or myocardial infarction in U.S. male physicians.
BACKGROUND
Although previous studies have found that moderate alcohol intake decreases the risk for myocardial infarction, many clinicians question the validity of this finding. Furthermore, the relation of moderate drinking to the risk for other events, such as angina pectoris, is not known.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether moderate alcohol intake decreases the risk for angina pectoris or myocardial infarction in apparently healthy men.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
United States.


METHODS
22,071 apparently healthy male physicians who were 40 to 84 years of age between 1981 and 1984.


METHODS
Responses to annual questionnaires.


RESULTS
Through 1994, 1368 cases of new-onset angina and 690 cases of myocardial infarction had been documented. In multivariate analyses that controlled for several potential confounders, alcohol intake was strongly and inversely associated with the risk for each event (P for trend < 0.001). Compared with men who consumed less than one drink per week, those who consumed one drink per day had relative risks of 0.69 (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.81) for angina and 0.65 (CI, 0.52 to 0.81) for myocardial infarction. These associations were seen when either nondrinkers or occasional drinkers were used as the reference group.


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate drinking decreases the risk for angina pectoris and myocardial infarction in apparently healthy men.
Camargo
C A
CA
Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Stampfer
M J
MJ
Glynn
R J
RJ
Grodstein
F
F
Gaziano
J M
JM
Manson
J E
JE
Buring
J E
JE
Hennekens
C H
CH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010820:Physicians; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology