Voice-over:

Older adults who enjoy a few alcoholic beverages each week are more likely to ward off heart disease and live longer, but not for the reason many might think.

Voice-over:

University of Florida researchers say alcohol's much-touted ability to reduce inflammation isn't why the occasional drink is good for the heart. Instead, light to moderate drinking reduces the risk of heart attack, or death in other ways, probably because of yet-to-be-determined cellular, molecular or genetic interactions. The U-F study looked at healthy seniors who enjoyed seven or fewer drinks a week. The results revealed that alcohol intake was associated with a twenty-six percent reduced risk of death and almost a thirty percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, heart failure or other complications.

Dr. Cinzia Maraldi / UF geriatrician

"According to the results of our study, light to moderate alcohol intake seems to have a protective effect on cardiovascular disease."

Voice-over:

Researchers evaluated signs of inflammation in study participants' blood. Doctors suggested through this analysis that moderate alcohol consumption had a positive effect on cardiovascular disease, independent of levels of inflammation. The research also showed that alcohol's protective effects went away when seniors had more than seven drinks per week. As always, recommendations on alcohol consumption should be based on a careful evaluation of an individual's risks and benefits.

Dr. Cinzia Maraldi / UF geriatrician

"If there are no medical conditions that preclude from alcohol intake and in the context of adequate treatment of cardiovascular risk factors, I would suggest light to moderate alcohol consumption that seems to prevent cardiovascular disease."

Voice-over:

At the University of Florida Health Science Center, I'm Mike Garrison