No amount of alcohol is "good for you". That's the message from the Heart Foundation as it releases new guidelines for Kiwis about alcohol.
The advice is meant to help Kiwis make informed decisions about their heart health and highlights the risks of alcohol.
Heart Foundation medical director Dr Gerry Devlin told AM it's been 10 years since the foundation last released advice and it was time for an update.
"We've now got more evidence that tells us that there is a strong relationship with alcohol and the risk of high blood pressure."
Dr Devlin said 20 to 30 percent of adults have high blood pressure, with one in two 65-year-olds having high blood pressure.
"We also know that alcohol can increase the risk of some heart rhythm disorders, atrial fibrillation and very common rhythm as we all get older. And that can increase the risk of stroke as well."
He said previously it was believed one to two glasses of alcohol, red wine specifically, could be good for your health, but that was based "on really small observational studies".
"Not a lot of hard evidence to actually back up that statement," he said.
"What we're saying is we believe there is no heart health benefit in consuming alcohol and that there is increased risk to your heart with consuming alcohol," he said.
"We know alcohol causes other health problems as well. So that's what we've come up with specifically around the heart health issue with alcohol."
Dr Devlin said the new guidance is "important" because it provides certainty about the effect of alcohol on heart disease outcomes and "indicates there is no safe level or protective effect from alcohol".
"We’re saying if you don’t drink alcohol – don’t start. If you do drink alcohol – it’s better to drink less."
Dr Devlin told AM he drinks alcohol, but has reduced his consumption "considerably in the last few years".
"I'm more conscious about the impact on my own health."
The Heart Foundation's tips to drink less:
- Have alcohol-free weeks and weekends wherever you can
- Choose alcohol-free activities or make your usual activities alcohol-free
- Drink slowly
- For every drink of alcohol have a drink of water or soda water
- Low and zero-alcohol products may help some people to drink less alcohol if they are consumed in place of full-strength drinks.
Watch the video above for more.
