title: In vino veritas: alcohol and heart disease.
abstract: Numerous epidemiological studies, numbering nearly 100, have documented an inverse association between alcohol consumption and vascular risk. The preponderance of evidence supports an independent beneficial effect of mild-to-moderate alcoholic beverage consumption on risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it is important to remember that observational data cannot prove causation; unmeasured or incompletely controlled confounding factors cannot be excluded. That said, most authorities now attribute a causal role to the relationship: moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of CHD, and current research centers on the mechanistic underpinnings and whether patterns of drinking are important. Here, I review the association between alcohol use and CHD risk, explore putative mechanisms, and make recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA. joseph.hill@UTsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history; D000818:Animals; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003704:Dementia / Q000517:prevention & control; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol