More recently, however, several studies have challenged the benefits of alcohol for cardiovascular health. A prospective study of nearly 600,000 drinkers showed that for cardiovascular disease subtypes other than myocardial infarction, lower alcohol consumption was associated with lower risk of disease (Wood, Kaptoge, Butterworth et al. 2018). Analysis of individuals from this cohort without baseline cardiovascular disease found that alcohol intake was associated with increased risk of non-fatal coronary heart disease, but associated with decreased risk of stroke (Ricci, Wood, Muller et al. 2018). In a Mendelian randomization study by Holmes et al. (2014), individuals with decreased genetic risk for consuming alcohol and alcohol use disorder, based on the presence of a genetic variant that alters alcohol metabolism, were compared to individuals with typical genetic risk. The authors found that individuals with the genetic variant associated with non-drinking and lower alcohol consumption had a more favorable cardiovascular profile and reduced risk of coronary heart disease than those without the genetic variant. This finding supports the beneficial effect of reduced alcohol consumption for cardiovascular health.
