Maybe it’s time to cut your favorite cocktail.
According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, consumption of a moderate amount of alcohol was associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. Otherwise known as AFib, the chronic condition is defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) as a vibrating or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. ‘
What else did the study reveal?
Researchers examined the data of nearly 108,000 adults from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Italy over a 28-year period. The volunteers, who entered the study at an average age of 48, underwent routine examinations where they were offered a variety of personal information, such as medical history and lifestyle, including alcohol intake. (Related: The one-vitamin doctors urge everyone to take now.)
During the halfway point (approximately year 14), 5854 men and women developed AFib. In fact, the alcohol and AFib association has been seen for all types of alcoholic beverages – wine, beer and spirits. Researchers have found that those who drink an average of one alcoholic beverage each day (about 4 ounces of wine, 11 ounces of beer or 1.3 ounces of liquor) showed an increased risk of this cardiovascular condition compared to adults who did not consume alcohol.
And the more one drank, the more likely it was that AFib would be diagnosed. Two drinks a day was linked to an increased risk of 28%, and someone consuming four or more alcoholic drinks a day had an increased risk of 47%.
Does not red wine offer many health benefits?
Interestingly, a number of studies over the years have presented wine as a heart-healthy choice. One study in 2019, published in the journal Molecules found that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phenolic compounds in red wine can help prevent cardiovascular disease. Also, Louisiana State University professors announced in 2018 that they were developing stents (small tubes in a blocked narrow artery) made from resveratrol and quercetin – two antioxidants found naturally in red wine – to prevent blood clotting and inflammation.
‘Finally, we were a little surprised that neither the overall alcohol consumption nor especially the consumption of wine was protective [of AFib] if it is consumed at low doses because it is reported to be protective against, for example, a heart attack, “says Professor Renate Schnabel, senior study author and consultant cardiologist at the University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. Eat it, not it!
‘Earlier reports, however, have already suggested that there may be no beneficial effect for atrial fibrillation, but have not had enough power to investigate a very low regular alcohol consumption. Our large study can now indicate that there may be no threshold below which alcohol consumption can be protective. ‘
Schnabel points out, however, that he and his team were not aware of the type of wine the participants drank. In addition, other elements related to wine consumption, such as socio-economic status, lifestyle habits and nutrition, also plays a role in heart health.
“Therefore, factors other than the type of alcohol itself may have led to inconsistent associations in different studies,” he adds.
How common is AFib and what can you do to prevent it?
The AHA states that at least 2.7 million Americans currently live at AFib. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this heart condition is the cause of more than 454,000 hospitalizations a year in the US, and the agency estimates that 12.1 million Americans are likely to be diagnosed with AFib by 2030.
An editorial written by two professors from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada on this latest research from Europe suggests that the link between low alcohol consumption and AFib needs to be further explored.
“Until then, each individual must make his or her own best-educated decision as to whether an alcoholic beverage per day is worthwhile and safe,” the authors wrote.
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