More Than One Glass of Wine a Day Is Trouble for Women

The latest study on the risks of alcohol might give pause to women who drink more than one glass of wine a day on average:

• Overall risk: Women ages 18 to 65 who had at least eight drinks a week—an average of more than one a day—had a notably higher risk of heart disease than those who drank less, per Science Daily. They were up to 51% more likely to develop such disease, reports the Washington Post.
• Binge drinkers: The risk was greatest for female binge drinkers (three or more drinks in a day): These women were 68% more likely to develop heart disease than moderate drinkers, defined as three to 14 drinks per week, per Yahoo News.
• Men: Male binge drinkers (four or more drinks in a day) also saw a higher risk (33%) but the numbers were most pronounced for women.

• Takeaway quote: "There has been an increasing prevalence of alcohol use among young and middle-aged women as women may feel they're protected against heart disease until they're older, but this study shows that even in that age group, women who drink more than the recommended amount of one drink per day or tend to binge drink, are at risk for coronary heart disease," says cardiologist Jamal Ran of Permanente Medical Group, the lead author.
• The study: It was drawn from data on more than 430,000 people in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health group. The study will be presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session in April.

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