Oktoberfest is Good for You, Sort of

There's more good news for the estimated 10 million beer drinkers who are preparing to converge on Munich for two weeks of hop-inspired revelry starting on September 18. Not only will the huge numbers of Oktoberfest visitors be partaking of the finest beers, Bavarian cuisine and entertainment at the world's biggest beer festival, they may even be improving their health while doing so.

A recent study by the University of Heidelberg has revealed that drinking a "moderate" amount of alcohol can boost the recovery of patients who have had heart surgery and can help stave off cardiac episodes for those who have not.

Men who drank about six or more units a week after surgery to open blocked arteries were less likely to have renewed furring up of their arteries, according to the study published in the health journal Heart this week. They were also half as likely to need repeated unclogging surgery as men who drank little or no alcohol.

The report also contains evidence that suggests people who drink about one unit a day have a lower risk of heart attack, chronic heart trouble or sudden coronary death than heavier drinkers or those who do not drink at all.

"(The report) further supports that moderate consumers of alcohol with an increased risk cardiovascular risk profile should not be advised to stop drinking," the university study states.

Moderation is the key

This will be music to the ears of the mass ranks of beer guzzlers who will be putting away an estimated six million liters (1.6 million gallons) of suds over the festival fortnight. But there are words of caution in the beery air.

"Drinking more than one or two units a day does not offer extra protection -- on the contrary, this may raise blood pressure and cause extra health problems," said a spokeswoman from Alcohol Concern in the article accompanying the report in the medical journal.