A recent study suggests thart a moderate consumption of alcohol is good for the heart
RESEARCH at Delhi's All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (Alims) has borne oud
the belief that moderate alcohol cosumption can protect people from cornary heart diseases (CHD). The studw
reveals that moderate doses of alcow
increase the level of proteins called higb
density lipoproteins (Hf)LS) that we
good for the heart and keep heart dm
eases at bay.
Lipoproteins are found in the blood
W carry fatty chemical substances
wm-n as lipids, which play the imporw role of ferrying cholesterol in
rr body via the blood stream.
ik low density lipoproteins (LDLS)
orisport cholesterol from its site
production in the liver to the cells,
bere it is used to build cell walls and
rnerate energy, HDLS transport
xtss or unused cholesterol from the
's tissues back to the liver, where it
broken down and excreted. Experts
btve that HDLS may retard the build
p of fats and are, in fact, beneficial to health.
The AHMS Study on the effect of alco
consumption on the heart was con
atd by L M Srivastava and colleagues
the department of biochemistry at
The scientists studied 45 healthy
sks, of which 10 were moderate
wkers, 10 heavy drinkers. The
naming constituted non-drinking
scrols. The men were between 35 to
65 years of age. The moderate
drinkers consumed 26 in] of'
absolute alcohol (about 2 pegs
of whisky) per day, 3-5 times a
week, whereas the heavy dose
drinkers drank 78 ml per day,
4-6 days a week.
Blood samples from the
subjects revealed that the levels
Of HDL-cholesterol were elevated both in moderate (13 per
cent increase) and heavy
drinkers (21 per cent increase)
as compared to the controls.
But the scientists point out that
there is published evidence that
in the long run, heavy alcohol
consumption hampers syntheSiS Of HDL, resulting in the
deposition of cholesterol on the,, arterial
walls.
Says Srivastava, "There is no other
foolproof method of increasing HDL
and alcohol may have potential therapeutic applications." The scientists now
want to extend the study to heart
patients. As Srivastava puts it, "It might
not seem wise to recommend alcohol
drinking, but should we not make use of
something that reduces the risk of heart
diseases?"
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