Alcohol, stroke and coronary artery disease.

It is widely believed that alcohol use in moderation helps prevent coronary artery disease, but the epidemiologic and experimental support for this concept is mixed and controversial. The controversy has been fueled by new reports on the effect of alcohol on lipoprotein subfractions, on the risk of stroke and on the risk of coronary events. Continued support for the belief that moderate alcohol use has a "protective" effect should be based on stronger evidence than is now at hand.