Nonsmokers who ate healthful diets and exercised didn’t benefit from alcohol.
In observational studies, researchers have found an association between moderate drinking and lower risk for myocardial infarction, but less is known about whether this benefit is limited to select groups. Researchers in London prospectively followed 9655 middle-aged adult civil servants (mean age, 44; none with known MI at enrollment) for a median of 17 years.
Subjects were characterized according to number of unhealthful behaviors (smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet). Among people who reported regular physical activity, daily fruit and vegetable consumption, and no smoking, alcohol use had no effect on incidence of fatal coronary heart disease or nonfatal MI in analyses that were adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Among par…