Complex Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Myocardial Infarction

D ow nloaded from DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.011036 2 First mention of alcohol as a component of diet and communal events dates back to the 7th millennium B.C. Famous ancient savants like Hippocrates used alcohol as a solvent for herb extracts, an antiseptic, and to counteract lethargy and diarrhoea, while in medieval times alcohol was well within the armamentarium of anaesthetics, sedatives, disinfectants, and diuretics. Nowadays, alcohol is no longer administered for medicinal purposes, but is a frequent constituent of regular diet favoured for its broad availability and lack of effective sale restrictions. In 2010, the worldwide average amount of pure alcohol consumed per person aged 15 or over was 6.2 litres per year or 13.5 grams per day. 1 There is now solid evidence that alcohol, when consumed on a regular basis and at low volumes (up to one drink for women and two drinks for men daily), confers protection against cardiovascular disease, whereas regula