Moderate drinking has health benefits for only some people

A new study has observed that moderate alcohol consumption can protect against coronary heart disease, but only for the 15 percent of the population that have a particular genotype.

The study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy studied 618 Swedes with coronary heart disease and a control group of 3,000 healthy subjects. The subjects were assigned to various categories based on the amount of alcohol they consumed (ethanol intake). Meanwhile, they were tested in order to identify a particular genotype (CETP TaqIB) that previous studies had found to play a role in the health benefits of alcohol consumption.

Professor Dag Thelle, Professor Emeritus at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, said that moderate drinking had a protective effect among only 15 percent of the general population.

Professor Lauren Lissner, said that moderate drinking alone did not have a strong protective effect, nor does this particular genotype but the combination of the two appeared to significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Professor Thelle said that their study represented a step in the right direction, but a lot more research was needed.

The study was published online in journal Alcohol.