(DALLAS) - For countless years, wine drinkers have been uncorking their favorite bottles and toasting to "good health." Today, several studies investigating the health effects of wine intake indicate that this famous phrase is both a conveyance of good feeling and good health. According to recent data from the Copenhagen Heart Study, low to moderate intake of wine has been associated with lower mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

The results of the 12 year study, which were published in the British Medical Journal, revealed that subjects who consume wine daily in moderation were much less likely to die than either people who consume other alcoholic beverages or non-drinkers. Of the 13,000 men and women aged 30 to 70 who were tracked from 1976 to 1988, the wine drinkers were half as likely to die as those who did not drink wine. The study found notable benefits for those who consumed one to two glasses per day.

"This is not a recommendation for non-drinkers to begin drinking, or for moderate drinkers to become heavy drinkers," said Dr. Bob Hillert, a Dallas based cardiologist and founder of the Côate de Coeur International Wine Auction and Dinner benefitting the Dallas Division of the American Heart Association (AHA). "There are numerous adverse effects associated with excess alcohol consumption, including increased risk of liver disease and accidental death, as well as disrupted social function. For those who do consumer wine, the American Heart Association recommends individuals not exceed two glasses (4 oz. each) of wine per day."

The AHA also emphasizes that moderate wine drinkers cannot drink away all risk of heart disease. "Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, medical check-ups, not smoking and a well-balanced diet low in cholesterol, saturated fats and sodium all are proven methods of controlling the risks associated with heart disease," continued Dr. Hillert.

The data obtained from the Copenhagen study closely resembles data from both a study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California and a report from the Harvard Medical school. In the California study of 81,825 drinkers, those who drank wine had a lower risk of heart disease than those who drank spirits or beer. In the Harvard report, blood tests of moderate wine drinkers (one to three drinks) had higher lever of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or "good cholesterol," than those who did not drink, or drank less.

The Copenhagen study sets new ground for investigations into the relationship between wine and lowered risk of heart disease. The Copenhagen study differs from other large-scale studies in that:

• it did not find life-prolonging benefits from drinking other forms of alcohol
• it did not find the health benefits with consumption to diminish with more than three glasses of wine per day.

For more information about the American Heart Association and ways to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, call (214) 748-7212.