marker for good health among older people, but not a cause of it [133]. While this effect would seriously bias risk estimates when abstainers (including former drinkers with substantial prior alcohol consumption) are the reference category, three major points underline the cardioprotective effect despite this theoretical argument [135]. First, experimental evidence has confirmed mediating pathways for a cardioprotective effect of moderate regular drinking [84]. Second, studies where lifetime abstainers were separated from former drinkers confirmed a cardioprotective effect [136;137]. Third, a cardioprotective effect also has been reported among participants with existing IHD risk factors [111-114].
