New research clarifies why we think moderate drinking is heart healthy

We’ve all heard that a glass of wine could be good for your heart, but new evidence from research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, says otherwise.

The new study, published in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, was led by Tim Stockwell, PhD, the director of the Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria.

Previous studies have shown that adults who drink moderately tend to get heart disease less than non-drinkers, suggesting that perhaps alcohol, in moderation, is good for the heart. But Stockwell’s study, which analyzed 54 previous cohort studies, revealed that those considered non-drinkers in the other studies may just be people who quit drinking because of existing health conditions, not just because they didn’t want to drink.

This finding, according to Stockwell and colleagues, suggests that healthy people are more likely to continue drinking moderately; they have no medical reason not to.

"We know that people generally cut down on drinking as they age, especially if they have health problems," Stockwell said. "People who continue to be moderate drinkers later in life are healthier. They're not sick or taking medications that can interact with alcohol."

Results from Stockwell’s analysis showed that overall, current moderate drinkers, categorized as having up to two drinks a day, did have a lower rate of heart disease death than those who didn’t drink at all.

However, he also found that when looking at people’s drinking habits at younger ages—those 55 or younger—moderate drinking had no benefits on their heart health.

Considering all the evidence, Stockwell says that non-drinkers tend to be more unhealthy than moderate drinkers—not because they never drank, but because their existing poor health influences their decision not to.

"We can't 'prove' it one way or the other," Stockwell said. "But we can say there are grounds for a healthy skepticism around the idea that moderate drinking is good for you."