By Mirza Muminovic Sarajevo

Patients who have survived heart attacks are being prescribed wine during their stay in a British hospital to prevent further heart complications.

Nurses at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, England, are giving cardiac patients two glasses of red wine each day, paid for by the hospital's own charity, in what is believed to be the first hospital programme of its kind in Europe.

This kind of treatment is based on studies that have found that a regular moderate amount of red wine can cut the chances of having a heart attack by 50% and a stroke by 20%.

William McCrea, a cardiologist at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, said the idea came from looking at the health statistics of France compared with those of the United Kingdom. He concluded that the amount of wine drunk was the reason fewer people die from heart attacks in France, despite consuming more fat and tobacco.

Red wine contains antioxidants and, according to McCrea, cheaper red wines are the best to tackle the risk of heart complications, as they contain more antioxidants than top quality wines kept for years in the barrel.

However, doctors at Great Western Hospital do not encourage patients with alcohol problems to consume the wine within their scheme.