[Alcohol should not be recommended for the prevention of heart disease].
Encouraging teetotallers to drink may reduce the risk of heart disease, but it is not likely to improve public health. The reason is that even one drink a day increases the risk of breast cancer, and alcohol causes serious non-fatal diseases that exceed the reduction in heart disease. Other lifestyle and drug interventions are safer and more effective.
Katan
M B
MB
Vrije Universiteit, Instituut voor Gezondheidswetenschappen, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam. martijn.katan@falw.vu.nl
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors