Wine, but not beer or spirits, helps women’s hearts keep a healthy beat, according to a Swedish study.

The study involved 102 women under age 75 who had survived a heart attack or heart surgery for blocked arteries. The women were asked to record their alcohol intake, and one year later researchers tracked each woman’s heart rate variability (HRV) on 24-hour electrocardiogram.

HRV measures changes in time intervals between heart beats. According to researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, decreased HRV is linked with an increased risk of heart disease and death.

Their study found that HRV was highest in women who drank moderate amounts of alcohol daily (more than half a drink per day), and lowest in those who drank no alcohol.

Further analysis of the data revealed that the type of alcohol consumed by the women was an important factor, however.

Heart rate variability was highest among the women who drank wine, while beer and spirits had little effect. This finding may help explain why moderate amounts of wine may be good for the heart, the study authors said.

The findings appear in the latest issue of Heart.

SOURCE: BMJ Specialist Journals, news release, Feb. 15, 2005