Wine Helps Women With Heart Problems, Study Finds

Drinking wine can improve the health of women who have heart problems, according to a Swedish study published in the British medical journal Heart. Beer and spirits appeared to have no impact, the study added. Heart rate variability, or changes in intervals between heartbeats, was highest in women who drank at least 5 grams of alcohol in wine a day, and lowest in those who drank no alcohol, said researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who studied 102 women with coronary heart disease. Decreases in heart rate variability are linked to higher risk of heart disease. Earlier research has shown that wine, especially red wine, has health benefits, including thinning blood and reducing heart attacks. A study published in December showed that drinking wine and eating such foods as dark chocolate and garlic can prolong life as well as reduce the risk of heart attack. ``Intake of wine, but not of spirits or beer, is positively and independently associated with heart rate variability in women'' with coronary heart disease, lead researcher Imre Janszky said in the study. ``The favorable effects on HRV may be one of the reasons why wine protects heart health.'' Much of the research on potential health benefits of alcohol has been done on men, and it's still unclear why moderate amounts of wine seem to be good for health, the scientists said. The Swedish research team studied women under the age of 75, who have survived a heart attack or had heart surgery for blocked arteries. All participants were asked to record their weekly alcohol intake after a year. The doctors traced the heart over 24 hours after at least a year. The type of alcohol consumed was important, the researchers found. Heart rate variations were highest among women who drank wine, even after taking into account other factors, such as age, weight and smoking habit. Beer and spirits had little impact on these variations, they said. Source: Bloomberg:Reporter Chantal Britt in Stockholm:cbritt@bloomberg.net Editor Mark Rohner mrohner@bloomberg.net