
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 3, 1993                   TAG: 9305030120
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

LIMITED DRINKING CALLED WAY TO PROTECT HEART

A drink or two, or even three, every day can help keep your heart healthy by increasing the amount of "good" cholesterol, a researcher reports.

Dr. J. Michael Gizano of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said he found that those who consumed up to three alcoholic drinks daily were less apt to suffer from myocardial infarctions, a type of heart attack.

But he warned that this does not mean it is healthy to get drunk. The healthy heart benefit comes only from what he called "drinking in moderation."

Gizano interviewed people about their drinking habits and then compared their blood levels of high-density lipoproteins, (HDL), the so-called "good" cholesterol. Earlier studies have shown that people with normal levels of HDL have a reduced risk of heart disease.

The study found that those who drank had higher levels of HDL and a lowered risk of heart attack.

- Associated Press

by CNB