Researchers at Harvard Medical School have found that consuming low to moderate amounts of alcohol reduces the chance of heart failure in men with high blood pressure, Reuters Health reported Sept. 22.

The scientists followed 5,153 hypertensive male subjects in the Physicians' Health Study I for an average of 18 years and concluded that subjects who consumed one to four drinks a week or eight or more drinks a week were 11 and 62 percent less likely, respectively, to experience heart failure than subjects who consumed less than one drink a week.

This is the first study linking consumption of light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol with decreased risk of heart failure. Earlier research had focused on alcohol use and elevated blood pressure and heavy consumption to enlargement of the heart.

The research was published in the Sept. 1, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.