Staying active...

Staying active and drinking moderately is the key to a long life
Authors:
Emma Mason Tel: +44 (0)1376 563090 Mobile: +44(0)7711 296 986 Email: wordmason@mac.comESC Press OfficeTel: +33 (0)4 92 94 86 27Fax: +33 (0)4 92 94 77 51E-mail: press@escardio.org

People who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are physically active have a lower risk of death from heart disease and other causes than people who don’t drink at all, according to new research. People who neither drink alcohol nor exercise have a 30-49 per cent higher risk of heart disease than those who either drink, exercise or both.
The research, which was published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Wednesday 9 January), is the first to look at the combined influence of leisure-time physical activity and weekly alcohol intake on the risk of fatal ischaemic heart disease (a form of heart disease characterised by a reduced blood supply to the heart) and deaths from all causes.
Between 1981-1983 Danish researchers obtained information on various health-related issues (including exercise and alcohol intake) from 11,914 Danish men and women aged 20 or older, who were taking part in the larger, Copenhagen City Heart Study.