A new study says that non-drinkers who began moderate consumption of alcohol in middle age reduced their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 38 percent, Science Daily reported March 10.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina studied 7,697 people ages 45-64 over a period of four years and found an immediate decrease in cardiac-disease morbidity among those who began drinking moderately in middle age. The study authors adjusted for other factors that could have influenced the rate of heart disease, such as exercise, demographics, and body-mass index.

Drinkers who only consumed wine had the greatest reduction in cardiac risk, whereas the risk reduction among those who drank beer or liquor was not statistically significant.

"A substantial cardiovascular benefit from adopting moderate alcohol drinking in middle age appears supported by the current study," wrote study author Dana E. King, M.D. "Any such benefit must be weighed with caution against the known ill consequences of alcohol consumption. While caution is clearly warranted, the current study demonstrated that new moderate drinking lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease without an increase in mortality in a four-year follow up period. The findings suggest that, for carefully selected individuals, a 'heart healthy diet' may include limited alcohol consumption even among individuals who have not included alcohol previously."

The study was published in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine.