RESEARCH - Too much iron, alcohol a bad mix for the heart

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Too much iron, alcohol a bad mix for the heart

Last Updated: 2005-04-29 13:14:19 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who like a beer with their steak may want

to exercise moderation, if new research findings are correct.

In a study of more than 34,000 U.S. women between the ages of 55 and 69,

researchers found that the combination of regular drinking and high iron

intake from meat was associated with a heightened risk of death from

cardiovascular disease.

The theory is that the alcohol triggers the release of iron from the

proteins in the body where the mineral is normally stored. While iron is an

essential nutrient, it's suspected that significantly high levels in the

body contribute to the generation of reactive oxygen species -- molecules

that can damage body cells and, over time, may promote heart disease, cancer

and other ills.

The new findings give weight to the belief that such oxidative stress plays

an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease, according to

study co-author Dr. R. s Jr., a professor of epidemiology at the

University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

In keeping with that, s and his colleagues also found that women who

drank regularly but had a relatively higher zinc intake showed a decreased

risk of dying from heart disease or stroke.

A mineral found in meat, fortified cereals, beans and nuts, zinc is thought

to act as an antioxidant -- meaning it may quash reactive oxygen species.

The recommended daily intake for zinc is 8 milligrams (mg) for women. In

this study, the group with the highest zinc intake typically consumed 20 mg

per day.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are

based on data from women who took part in a long-term study of the health

effects of diet and other lifestyle factors. At the study's start,

participants filled out detailed questionnaires on their eating habits over

the past year and gave information on other health factors, such as exercise

habits and smoking.

Over the next 15 years, nearly 1,800 women died of cardiovascular disease or

stroke. Overall, iron intake was not related to the risk of dying from these

diseases, but when s and his colleagues focused on women who drank

regularly, a different picture emerged.

Among women who drank roughly a drink a day or more, the risk of dying from

cardiovascular disease rose in tandem with a woman's average intake of heme

iron, the form of iron consumed through meat. Among these regular drinkers,

those who ate the most heme iron had more than twice the risk of

cardiovascular death as those who ate the least.

Iron from supplements was not strongly related to cardiovascular disease,

while nonheme iron -- found in plant sources such as beans and grains and in

fortified cereals -- showed a more complicated relationship to

cardiovascular disease. Among regular drinkers, those who ate moderate

levels of plant-based iron had a lower risk of cardiovascular death than

both women who ate little nonheme iron and those who ate the most.

According to s and his colleagues, the cardiovascular effects of

nonheme iron may depend on the specific food source. Women who ate moderate

levels of the nutrient may have gotten much of their intake from vegetables

and whole grains, while those with the highest intakes may have consumed a

large amount of fortified processed foods.

In contrast to iron, zinc appeared to offer greater protection to drinkers'

hearts and blood vessels as consumption of the mineral increased. Compared

with drinkers who got the least zinc in their diets, those who consumed the

most had about one third of the risk of cardiovascular death.

But that does not mean that women who drink should start popping zinc. Like

iron supplements, zinc supplements showed no clear effect on the risk of

dying from heart disease or stroke.

Rather, s told Reuters Health, the findings point to the importance of

moderation in a person's diet and drinking habits. In particular, he advised

keeping red meat consumption low and alcoholic drinks to one or two per day

at most.

In general, s said, the study supports following a diet rich in whole,

plant-based foods.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2005.

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