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Frequent Drinking Riskier For Your Heart Than Binge Drinking, Study Finds

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It turns out that how often you drink affects the chances of developing an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation (AFib) more than the amount or volume of alcohol consumed, according to the findings of a new study.

The translation: having one to two drinks daily increases a person’s risk of developing Afib more than binge drinking on weekends.

The research was published in EP Eurospace, the Journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

'Recommendations about alcohol consumption have focused on reducing the absolute amount rather than the frequency,” said study author Dr. Jong-Il Choi, of Korea University College of Medicine and Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 'Our study suggests that drinking less often may also be important to protect against atrial fibrillation.”

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder and increases the risk of stroke by up to five-fold. Symptoms include palpitations, racing or irregular pulse, shortness of breath, tiredness, chest pain and dizziness.

One previous study noted a strong relationship between alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation. The risk increased by 8% for every 12 g of alcohol (one drink) consumed per week. However, it was not clear what is more critical: the total amount of alcohol consumed or the number of drinking sessions.

The current study analyzed data from nearly 10 million persons and found that it was the absolute number or frequency of drinking sessions that increased the chance of being diagnosed with Afib (new-onset Afib). Persons who drank daily had the greatest risk of developing Afib among all study participants, while those who drank just one a week demonstrated the lowest risk. Interestingly, those who engaged in binge drinking (> 5 drinks per session) did not show any increased risk for developing new-onset atrial fibrillation.

For the study, the investigators looked at 9,776,956 persons without atrial fibrillation who underwent a general health check-up in 2009, including a questionnaire about their drinking habits. Participants were followed until 2017 to see if they had experienced episodes or hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation.

“Our study suggests that frequent drinking is more dangerous than infrequent binge drinking with regard to atrial fibrillation,” said Choi. 'The number of drinking sessions was related to atrial fibrillation onset regardless of age and sex.”

“Repeated episodes of atrial fibrillation triggered by alcohol may lead to overt disease; drinking can also provoke sleep disturbance which is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation,” he added.

Choi believes that “the protective effect of mild drinking” —which exists as a American Heart Association (AHA) recommendation—requires more study and validation. “It is not clear if this is a true benefit or a confounding effect of unmeasured variables,' he added. On the AHA website, the AHA recommends that “if you do drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day in women.”

Some studies have shown an association with moderate alcohol intake and a reduced risk of dying from heart disease. But the reality is that it’s difficult to discern cause and effect in these studies. For example, it’s possible that those who drink red wine are more highly educated, have higher incomes, and can purchase healthier food. People who drink red wine may also be more inclined to eat a heart-healthy diet.  

That said, previous research has demonstrated that moderate drinking may lead to slight elevation of the “good” HDL cholesterol while also reducing the stickiness of platelets.  Studies suggest that red wine (via resveratrol) specifically may be protective, as a result of antioxidant and antiplatelet effects. But you don’t need to drink red wine to get these benefits–exercise can elevate HDL levels and eating fruits, vegetables and drinking grape juice can lead to similar effects.

Afib has the potential to lead to stroke, multiple vascular complications, along with a significant potential to reduce quality of life. Choi argues that “preventing atrial fibrillation itself, rather than it’s complications, should be our first priority. Alcohol consumption is probably the most easily modifiable risk factor.”

“To prevent new-onset atrial fibrillation, both the frequency and weekly amount of alcohol consumption should be reduced,” he concluded.


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