Alcohol: a danger to the heart

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Even healthy people who consume a lot of alcohol put their hearts at risk. You are threatened with a heart attack, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. This makes alcohol an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Alcohol is a cell poison. Scientists working with Isaac Whitman from the University of California in San Francisco have now conducted a large study of how harmful consuming too much is for the heart.

Information on consumption is unreliable

"A key difference to previous studies is that we did not rely on the information that people give themselves about their alcohol consumption," explains study leader Whitman in an interview with Because such information is very unreliable - especially those who drink a lot like to downplay their drinking quantities.

Instead, the researchers compared the heart health of people who had been diagnosed by a doctor to be abusive with those who had not. "This approach could provide a clearer picture of what the real impact of heavy drinking," said Whitman.

Heart attack, atrial fibrillation, heart failure

And this picture is frightening: the researchers found a strong link between alcohol abuse and cardiovascular disease. Participants with the relevant diagnosis suffered a heart attack 1.4 times as often as those who had never been certified as having alcohol abuse.

They were also twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation - a disorder of the heart rhythm that can cause a stroke. And their risk of heart failure was 2.3 times higher than that of the comparison group. The heart's pumping capacity is reduced.

In these numbers, the researchers had already taken into account other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These include obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle and smoking. In total, the data from almost 15 million patients were included in the study. The attending physicians had diagnosed around 270,000 of them with alcohol abuse.

Damaged vessels, disturbed rhythm

The mechanisms by which alcohol can harm the heart are many. Regular higher consumption promotes high blood pressure, which damages the blood vessels and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

But that's not all: "Alcohol also increases inflammation in the body and promotes arteriosclerosis," says Whitman. In addition, its consumption can disrupt the electrical impulses that regulate the heartbeat.

Critical limit

"We have now been able to show that there is a critical limit in alcohol consumption above which it has a damaging effect on the cardiovascular system," says Whitman. However, it cannot be deduced from the study where this limit lies. In any case, it differs from person to person - because how well the body copes with alcohol depends on various factors and is, among other things, genetically determined.

The results of the study also correct the image of alcohol as a possible heart protector. Previous research had suggested that moderate consumption could protect against heart attack. However, these studies often also serve as a justification for their drinking behavior for people who drink more than moderately. The researchers hope that the results will undermine such arguments.

An amount of 12 grams of pure alcohol per day is considered harmless to health for healthy women. That corresponds to about 125 ml of wine or 300 ml of beer. Men are allowed to drink twice as much. In addition, anyone who consumes alcohol should have at least two non-drinking days per week.

Abuse or addiction?

Alcohol abuse always occurs when alcohol is consumed in physically damaging amounts and / or the consumption affects social life. Harmful alcohol consumption can, but does not have to be, an addictive disorder.

Typical signs of alcohol addiction are when the person concerned can no longer control his drinking behavior, he feels a strong desire for alcohol or the amount of alcohol required for the alcoholizing effect increases.

Source: Isaac R. Whitman et al .: Alcohol Abuse and Cardiac Disease, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 69, Issue 1, January 2017, DOI: 10.1016 / j.jacc.2016.10.048

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