Alcohol and the risk of myocardial infarction

Epidemiological studies have repeatedly demonstrated a beneficial effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the incidence of coronary heart disease, m yocardial infarction and overall mortality. The latter increases with exces sive alcohol consumption. Although most epidemiological studies demonstrate a beneficial effect of alcohol consumption independent from the specific k ind of alcoholic beverage, there is increasing evidence that wine and in pa rticular red wine might contain pharmacological substances, which prevent a therosclerosis and myocardial infarction independent from the wine ethanol. Pathophysiological mechanisms mediating these beneficial effects include e ffects of wine phenols and tannins on LDL-cholesterol oxidation status, thr ombocyte aggregation, endothelial function and smooth muscle cell prolifera tion. Identification and characterization of the pharmacologically active s ubstances might provide the stage for the development of new substances to be used in the prevention of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarct ion.