Beer, Beer, It’s Good For Your Heart! No, really. Tell your friends! For years we’ve heard that wine has been the go-to alcoholic drink for heart-health conscious drinkers. But in what may be the best news of your day, new studies have shown a correlation between moderate beer drinking and heart health. So grab a pint and read on to learn more! The Scandinavian Journal of Public Health Care conducted a study on the effects of alcohol consumption on women across a 32-year time period. The study included nearly 1500 women ranging from 30 to 62 years of age. At the start, researchers asked the participants a variety of questions about their alcohol consumption, namely their beverages of choice, overall physical health and lifestyle habits. At the end of the study they followed up with the women and tracked their health and for some, cause of death. Researchers were able to find a clear link between the moderate beer consumers and a lowered heart attack risk. Interestingly enough, they did not find the same correlation with the wine advocates. Now, don’t you wine-lovers throw away your wine glasses just yet! Kenneth J. Mukamal, MD, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard, is an expert in the area of the effects of alcoholic beverages on health. He’s conducted quite a few studies over the course of his career and he offers a great perspective. He stated, “In most cases, overall alcohol intake is associated with lower risk of heart attack.” In other words, moderate consumption of any alcoholic drink can be beneficial to your heart. He continues, “We know that moderate drinking influences a number of factors that could lower risk of heart attack. It increases HDL, the good cholesterol, and lowers the stickiness of blood cells.” Even those who aren’t ready to declare beer the “be-all end-all” of heart-healthy alcoholic beverages do have positive views. Nicole Weinberg, MD is a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California and she says she typically sees contrary results in her practice. She states that her patients that are beer drinkers typically have higher weight, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. However, she believes this to be from what they eat as opposed to what they drink. She sees substantial heart benefits in the de-stressing aspect of drinking beer, as in drinking casually with friends or family.   Sources: dailymail.co.uk, yahoo.com, cdc.gov, dailynews.com By Pat DeRiso