Results of a study of over 5,000 men in the USA who had previously suffered a heart attack have been reported in The Lancet vol 352 No 9144 1998. Of 90,150 men in the Physicians Health Study enrollment cohort 5,358 had suffered myocardial infarction, but had no history of cancer, stroke, or lliver disease.The cohort estimated alcohol consumption via a food frequency questionnaire.The relevant 5,358 men were followed over five years, during which time 920 men died. Even after adjustment for several confounders, moderate alcohol intake was associated with a significant decrease in total mortality (p=0.016).Compared to men who rarely or never drank alcohol, those who drank one to four drinks per month had a relative risk for mortality of 0.85; for two to four drinks a week, the relative risk was 0.72 and for one drink a day 0.79. It could be safely concluded from the research that previous heart attack sufferers who consume small to moderate amounts of alcohol have lower total mortality.

Source: Muntwylerj, Hennekens CH et al 'Mortality and light to moderate alcohol consumption after myocardial infarction''.