Pubdate: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 Source: Reuter Beer, liquor as good as wine to cut heart disease By Patricia Reaney LONDON (Reuter) Drinking moderate amounts of white wine, beer and liquor is just as effective as quaffing red wine in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease in older people, medical experts said Thursday. The cardiovascular benefits of a glass or two of red wine a day have been well documented but medical experts now say equal amounts of other alcoholic drinks are just as good. An international symposium of biologists, cardiologists, addiction specialists and sociologists found that older, high risk people who drink one to three units a day of beer, wine or liquor, are 25 percent less likely to suffer coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke than nondrinkers. ``By and large most prospective studies with information about the three major beverage types suggest that each is likely to be protective,'' Dr. Arthur Klatsky told a news conference. The American cardiologist said a large study he completed in California showed the risk of coronary heart disease was inversely related to drinking and it did not matter whether people drank wine, beer or liquor. ``In fact if there was any suggestion of an advantage of one type of alcoholic beverage over another, it was that in women perhaps the wine drinkers did a little better than the liquor or beer drinkers, and in men the beer drinkers did better,'' he said. Michael Criqui, an American epidemiologist, said taking one drink a day was likely to have the optimum effect on the risks of cutting CHD. Studies have shown that in older, high risk people alcohol in small amounts can increase high density lipoprotein, sometimes known as the good cholesterol, that reduces plaque in the arteries. It also interferes with blood clotting and can improve the body's ability to use insulin more effectively. The negative effects take hold when consumption increases. Then it can increase blood pressure and lead to heart disease, stroke, blood clotting and cause damage to the heart muscle. Peter Anderson, of the World Health Organization, stressed the findings were ``not a recipe for drinking'' and the benefits were relevant for older people at higher risk of CHD. He emphasised the dangers of heavy drinking, citing statistics from the former Soviet Union where life expectancy for men today is only 57 years, the lowest level in world, compared to 68 years in the late 1980s. Changes in the economy and life style have contributed to the decline including an increase in alcohol consumption, he said.