Hi everyone, there seems to be a new development in the field of High
Blood Pressure. I was reading about it on
http://medical-health-care-informati...d-pressure.htm
which says a drink may help high blood pressure risk. Men with high
blood pressure are usually advised to avoid alcohol, but U.S. and Dutch
researchers said on Tuesday that a drink or two every day may reduce
their chances of a heart attack.

The study of 11,000 men supports other research that shows
small-to-moderate amounts of alcohol can lower the risk of heart
disease, by increasing the levels of high density lipoprotein, or
"good" cholesterol, and by making blood less likely to clot.

Drinkers in general have a bigger risk of high blood pressure, and
heavy drinking raises the risk of early death overall, including from
heart disease. But many studies have shown that moderate drinkers may
be healthier. The team at the Harvard School of Public Health, Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Wageningen University in the
Netherlands wanted to see if men with high blood pressure, who are
generally advised not to drink, might safely enjoy a little wine, beer
or spirits.

They analyzed data from 11,711 health professionals taking part in a
long-term survey between 1986 and 2002.The men who had one or two
drinks a day had lower rates of fatal and nonfatal heart attacks than
the others. But their overall death rate was not lower.
Men who had three drinks or more a day on average were mot protected.
"Men diagnosed with hypertension probably get a lot of advice on how to
change their lifestyle, physical activity and diet," said Joline
Beulens, who led the study. "This study indicates that if they drink
alcohol in moderation they may not need to change their drinking
habits."

Beulens, visiting Harvard from Wageningen, said two drinks appear to be
the limit -- something found in other studies. "So our findings are not
a license for men with hypertension to overindulge," she added in a
statement."Because excess alcohol intake clearly increases blood
pressure, many men with hypertension are counseled not to drink, but
our results suggest that may not be necessary if men drink safely and
responsibly."
Writing in Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the
researchers noted that they only studied male health care
professionals, so it is not clear whether the findings apply to women
or men in different occupations.

I thought I would share this info with you. Maybe you would want to
read about it there. Regards, Tom