title: Alcohol intake and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
abstract: Recent studies reinforce the consistent finding of a J-shaped inverse association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, primarily as a result of the underlying association between alcohol and coronary heart disease. The most plausible mechanism behind this effect is through increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. All types of alcoholic beverage reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, suggesting that ethanol is responsible for the protective effect.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA. hsesso@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Sesso
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gaziano
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids