A glass of wine a day is useful only for every seventh
Study: alcohol is only useful for carriers of a certain gene
Elena Subbotina, Rossiyskaya GazetaThe benefits and dangers of moderate alcohol consumption have long been the subject of heated scientific debate.
Scientists from the University of Gothenburg also contributed to the discussion on this topic. Their research showed that a daily glass of wine can be good for health, but provided that a person has the "right" gene.
Small amounts of alcohol protect against cardiovascular disease, but only those who have a special gene variant known as CETP TaqIB. Only three out of twenty people (only 15 percent of the total population) are carriers of this polymorphism caused by the replacement of one of the nucleotides in the gene of the enzyme cholesterol ester transfer protein (cholesterol ester transport protein), reports The Daily Mail (a much more sensible press release from the University of Gothenburg Moderate Drinking is Healthy Only for Some People and an article by Mehlig et al. CETP TaqIB genotype modifies the association between alcohol and coronary heart disease: The INTERGENE case-control study, published in the journal with a simple and modest title “Alcohol" – VM).
The doctors' conclusions are based on the study of data from 368 Swedes with heart disease and a control group of 3,000 people.
According to researchers, moderate alcohol consumption in itself does not have a strong protective effect, as, in fact, this genotype. But the combination of these two factors seems to be able to significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
The researchers presented two hypotheses explaining the positive effect of moderate alcohol consumption.
According to the first, the gene produces the protein SETP, which affects the level of "good" HDL cholesterol, which helps to remove excess lipids from blood vessels, protecting the heart. The theory says that alcohol increases the content of this type of cholesterol. The second hypothesis suggests that alcohol contains healthy antioxidants. It is possible that both theories are right, but the mechanisms by which cholesterol or antioxidants act are still unknown to science. The description of these mechanisms will probably allow genetic testing in the future, which will be able to determine whether a person belongs to the "happy" 15 percent.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru13.11.2014