Home> Press releases >DRINKAWARE RESPONSE TO SPANISH RESEARCH INTO ALCOHOL AND HEART DISEASE

DRINKAWARE RESPONSE TO SPANISH RESEARCH INTO ALCOHOL AND HEART DISEASE

24 Nov 2009

Reacting to findings from a Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC), which shows alcohol can lower heart disease in men by almost a third, Professor Paul Wallace, Chief Medical Adviser for alcohol charity Drinkaware, says:

"This isn't the first piece of research to show a protective effect of alcohol consumption on coronary heart disease, but the findings appear to fly in the face of other high quality evidence which suggests that above the current Government drinking guidelines, the more people drink, the greater their chances of developing heart disease. These new findings contradict a large number of similar international studies and should therefore be treated with caution. It is also curious that no beneficial effect on heart disease was seen in the women in this Spanish study.

“It’s really important that people don’t use this research as an excuse to drink to excess. Any possible benefits related to heart disease from drinking alcohol are likely to be far outweighed by the effects of excessive alcohol use in increasing the chances of developing different types of cancer, mental health problems and liver damage.

“We should not ignore the fact that in the UK, alcohol misuse costs the NHS around £2.7 billion and the cost to wider society including crime and disorder, social and family breakdown and sickness absence is estimated at closer to £25.1 billion(1).

“Drinkaware advises men to stay within the recommended guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol per day (equivalent of a pint and a half of lager) and women to stay within 2-3 units per day (equivalent of a 175ml glass of wine). People wanting to know how many units are in their favourite tipple can use the Drinkaware unit calculator at www.drinkaware.co.uk<http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/>. “

Ends

Notes to Editors
1. Cabinet Office, 2008.
2. Paul Wallace is Director of the NIHR Primary Care Research Network and Deputy Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network Co-ordinating Centre. He is also Professor of Primary Care at University College London, and a general medical practitioner in the Hampstead Group Practice. He was awarded an MRC epidemiology training fellowship shortly after completing his specialist training in general practice in 1982, and then followed a career in academic general practice, first at the MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit at Northwick Park, then at Imperial College, and finally in his current professorial appointment in UCL, which he took up in 1993.
3. Drinkaware (www.drinkaware.co.uk) provides consumers with information to make informed decisions about the effects of alcohol on their lives and lifestyles. Our public education programmes, grants, expert information, and resources help create awareness and effect positive change. An independent charity established in 2007, Drinkaware works with the medical profession, the alcohol industry, government and independent members to achieve its goals.

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