Research

Hormonal

Consuming alcohol at a frequency of three or more days per week is inversely associated with the risk of myocardial infarction in men, regardless of the specific type of beverage consumed.

For men who already consume alcohol, drinking on at least three to four days per week is associated with a lower risk of heart attacks compared to drinking less than once a week. The specific type of alcohol (wine, beer, liquor) or whether it is consumed with meals does not significantly change this benefit. The key factor is the frequency of consumption, not the total volume or beverage type.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Among men, consumption of alcohol at least three to four days per week was inversely associated with the risk of myocardial infarction. Neither the type of beverage nor the proportion consumed with meals substantially altered this association.
Kenneth J. Mukamal et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2003

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort study (38,077 men) with long follow-up (12 years) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Roles of Drinking Pattern and Type of Alcohol Consumed in Coronary Heart Disease in Men

Kenneth J. Mukamal et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2003

DOI 10.1056/nejmoa022095

cohort · n=38077Cited 812×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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