Alcohol consumption and acute myocardial infarction: a benefit of alcohol consumed with meals?
BACKGROUND
The apparent favorable effect of alcohol on the risk of acute myocardial infarction (MI) may be related to its hypoinsulinemic effect when consumed with meals. We studied how the timing of alcohol consumption in relation to meals might affect the risk of MI in a population with relatively high regular alcohol consumption.


METHODS
We conducted a case-control study between 1995 and 1999 in Milan, Italy. Cases were 507 subjects with a first episode of nonfatal acute MI, and controls were 478 patients admitted to hospitals for other acute diseases. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multiple logistic regression models.


RESULTS
Compared with nondrinkers, an inverse trend in risk was observed when alcohol was consumed during meals only (for > or =3 drinks per day: OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.30-0.82). In contrast, no consistent trend in risk was found for subjects drinking outside of meals (for > or =3 drinks per day: 0.98; 0.49-1.96). The pattern of risk was similar when we considered people who drank only wine.


CONCLUSIONS
Alcohol drinking during meals was inversely related with risk of acute MI, whereas alcohol drinking outside meals only was unrelated to risk.
Servizio di Epidemiologia, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano (PN), Italy.
Livia S A
LS
Augustin
Silvano
S
Gallus
Alessandra
A
Tavani
Cristina
C
Bosetti
Eva
E
Negri
Carlo
C
La Vecchia
D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors