Moderate drinking likely beneficial in postmenopausal women.(Abstract)

2002 OCT 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drinking modest amounts of alcohol seems to have a preventive effect against heart disease in postmenopausal women, just as it does among middle-aged men, by raising good cholesterol and altering other constituents of the blood.

Elevated levels of high-density lipoproteins, or "good cholesterol," have been shown to predict a low risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks. Increased activity levels of paraoxonase (PON), an enzyme associated with HDL, also has been shown to protect against heart disease. Apolipoprotein A-1 is a protein component of HDL that supports its heart benefits.

A new study, published in the September 2002 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, shows that increases in these factors among postmenopausal women following moderate alcohol consumption are similar to the increases that have been shown in men and that have been associated with a decreased risk for heart disease.

"Increased serum HDL-cholesterol and PON activity may be a mechanism of action not only in healthy middle-aged men, but also in postmenopausal women, underlying the reduced heart disease risk in moderate drinkers," said Henk F.J. Hendriks, PhD, of TNO Nutrition and Food Research in the Netherlands.

In fact, the researchers found no difference in the magnitude of increased activity and concentration of the measured factors between ...