title: Prevention of cardiovascular risk by moderate alcohol consumption: epidemiologic evidence and plausible mechanisms.
abstract: An inverse association between moderate alcohol intake and cardiovascular risk, in particular coronary disease and ischemic stroke, has been shown in many epidemiologic studies. In addition, several other diseases are also known to occur less frequently in moderate drinkers than in non-drinkers, whereas excess of drinking is invariably harmful. However, some concern has been recently raised about the possibility that at all dosages the harm of alcohol could overcome its beneficial effects. We present here the epidemiologic and mechanistic evidence to support the protective effect of moderate alcohol intake against cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
authors.affiliation: RE ARTU Research Laboratories, John Paul II Centre For High Technology Research and Education in Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University, Largo Gemelli 1, 86100, Campobasso, Italy. dicastel@ngi.it
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Castelnuovo
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.forename: Maria Benedetta
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iacoviello
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Gaetano
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol