title: Influence of mild-to-moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular diseases in men from the general population.
abstract: METHODS
  There is controversy about the association between mild-to-moderate alcohol consumption and a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. The relationships between daily alcohol consumption and the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke (IS) were examined in men in a community-based, prospective cohort study (n = 8014, age 40-80 years, mean age = 64.1 years). Alcohol consumption was categorized into 3 groups (A1, none or occasional; A2, ≤25 g/day; A3, >25 g/day as ethanol) at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the mean follow-up of 5.5 years, 53 MIs and 186 ISs occurred. On Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking index, and body mass index (BMI), the hazard ratio (HR) for incident MI was significantly lower in the A2 group than in the A1 group (HR = 0.49, p = 0.043). The HR for incident MI in the A3 group tended to be lower than in the A1 group (HR = 0.53, p = 0.10). In obese subjects, while a significantly lower HR for incident MI in the A2 group was retained (HR = 0.29, p = 0.049), no significant difference in the HR of the A3 group compared with the A1 group was found. No significant differences were found in the IS-free curve among the 3 groups of alcohol consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol consumption may have a protective effect on the onset of MI but not on IS in the general population. A U-shaped relation between alcohol consumption and incident MI was found in obese subjects. An appropriate limit for daily alcohol consumption, depending on the risk of ischemic heart disease, may need to be established.
authors: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka 020-8505, Japan. makitas@seagreen.ocn.ne.jp
authors: Shinji
authors: S
authors: Makita
authors: Toshiyuki
authors: T
authors: Onoda
authors: Masaki
authors: M
authors: Ohsawa
authors: Fumitaka
authors: F
authors: Tanaka
authors: Toshie
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authors: Segawa
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authors: Takahashi
authors: Kenyu
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authors: Satoh
authors: Kazuyoshi
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authors: Itai
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authors: Tanno
authors: Kiyomi
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authors: Sakata
authors: Shinichi
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authors: Omama
authors: Yuki
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authors: Yoshida
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Ishibashi
authors: Tomiko
authors: T
authors: Koyama
authors: Toru
authors: T
authors: Kuribayashi
authors: Kuniaki
authors: K
authors: Ogasawara
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Ogawa
authors: Akira
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authors: Okayama
authors: Motoyuki
authors: M
authors: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology