Having a supportive social network enhances the health benefits of having a few drinks, new research from Japan suggests. |
Having a supportive social network enhances the health benefits of having a few drinks, new research from Japan suggests.
The study of Japanese men years found that moderate to light alcohol consumption, coupled with high levels of social support, were linked to lower rates of heart disease and stroke.
"But remember," Dr. Hiroyasu Iso from Osaka University noted in a statement, "this beneficial effect of social support is confined to light-to-moderate drinking. Heavy drinking is risky irrespective of social support level."
In a report in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, the researchers note that light to moderate drinking has been shown to help protect against stroke and heart disease. Being surrounded by lots of family and friends is also known to be good for the heart and may even help people live longer.
The new study, Iso and colleagues say, shows that high levels of social support may enhance the heart-healthy effects of light to moderate alcohol consumption.
Iso's team examined drinking patterns, social support and cardiovascular health of 19,356 men in their 40s, 50s and 60s who were enrolled in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. Their alcohol consumption was classified into seven categories: never, past, occasional, 1 to 149, 150 to 299, 300 to 449, or 450 or more grams of alcohol per week.
During an average follow up of more than 9 years, 629 strokes and 207 coronary heart diseases were documented in the men.
Confirming past studies, heavier drinking (i.e., 300 grams per week or more) was associated with an increased risk of stroke. This may be explained at least partly by alcohol-induced high blood pressure, the researchers say.
In contrast to heavy drinking, light to moderate drinking -- up to 299 grams of alcohol per week -- was associated with reduced risks of stroke and heart disease, and the effect was more pronounced in men with high levels of social support, "probably due to avoidance of unhealthy behaviors and enhancement of stress buffering," Iso surmised.
Compared with light to moderate drinkers with high social support, those with low social support had unhealthier lifestyle behaviors; they were more apt to be sedentary and had fewer opportunities for medical checkups. They were also more likely to have high stress levels, no job, and no spouse.
The researchers speculate that low levels of social support may cause mental stress, which is hard on the heart. Mental stress activates components of the body's neuro-endocrine system, "which lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease," Iso explained.
日本一項最新研究表明，良好的社會關係能夠增進適量飲酒帶來的健康益處。
這項對日本男性開展的長期研究發現，適量或少量飲酒再加上高層次的社會支持能夠降低患心臟病和中風的機率。
大阪大學的磯博康博士在一份聲明中稱：「但是要牢記，社會支持的這種益處僅限於少量或適量飲酒，不論社會支持程度如何，大量飲酒都很危險。」
研究人員在發表於《酒精中毒：臨床與實驗研究》期刊上的報告中指出，研究已證實少量或適量飲酒有助於預防中風和心臟病。此外，有眾多家人和朋友的陪伴對心臟健康也有好處，甚至能延年益壽。
磯博康博士及其同事開展的這項最新研究表明，高層次的社會支持可能會增加少量或適量飲酒對心臟健康的益處。
這項前瞻性研究由日本公共衛生中心開展，共有19356名男性參加。磯博康博士的研究小組調查了他們在40多歲、50多歲和60多歲時的飲酒情況、社會關係和心血管健康狀況，並將他們的飲酒量從從不飲酒、過去飲酒、偶爾飲酒、每周飲用1至149克、150至299克、300至449克、到450克以上劃分為七個檔次。
在九年多的平均跟蹤回訪期間內，共有629人患中風，207人患冠心病。
之前研究表明，大量飲酒（每周300克及以上）會增加中風的風險。研究人員稱，飲酒導致的高血壓至少可在一定程度上解釋這一現象。
與大量飲酒形成鮮明對比，適量飲酒（每周299克及一下）可以降低中風及患心臟病的機率，這在社會支持程度較高的人群中更為明顯。 磯博康博士猜測稱：「這可能是因為適量飲酒可以避免不健康行為，並能緩解壓力。」
與少量或適量飲酒同時社會支持程度高的人相比，社會支持程度低的人生活方式較不健康，他們經常久坐，而且很少體檢。此外，他們更容易處於壓力大、失業及無伴侶的生活狀態。
研究人員推測稱，社會支持程度較低可能會導致精神壓力，而這不利於心臟健康。磯博康博士解釋說，精神壓力會刺激神經內分泌系統的某些部位，「從而增大患心血管病的機率。」
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少量飲酒預防老年痴呆症
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（實習生許雅寧 英語點津姍姍編輯）