A study of nearly 108,000 people has found that people who regularly drink a small amount of alcohol are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart beats in an extreme rhythm.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that compared to drinking alcohol at all, just one drink of alcohol per day was associated with a 16% increased risk of atrial fibrillation over an average follow-up period ( average) of nearly 14 years.
This means that while four teetotallers in 100 could develop atrial fibrillation over the study period, five out of 100 could improve the condition if they drank alcohol starting with a little more than alcohol per week and more than 75% drink one drink per day [2]. The researchers classified one alcohol as containing 12 g of ethanol, which is equivalent to a small glass of wine (120 ml), a small beer (330 ml) or 40 ml of spirits.
People who regularly drink a lot of alcohol are known to be at greater risk of developing heart failure, and heart failure can increase the frequency of atrial fibrillation.
Several studies have shown a slightly higher risk of heart problems for people who never drink alcohol; they often show that this risk decreases for people who drink a little, and then rises sharply as the more alcohol is consumed, creating a ‘J’ shape on graphs. Until now, it was unclear whether this was also true for atrial fibrillation.
However, in the current study led by Professor Renate Schnabel, a consultant cardiologist at the University’s Heart and Vulnerable Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany), researchers found that low doses of alcohol were low. associated with a lower risk of heart failure compared with teetotallers, a similar ‘J’ shape reduction did not show a risk for atrial fibrillation. This indicates that the increased risk of atrial fibrillation among people who drank a small amount of alcohol was not induced by heart failure.
Dr. said. Schnabel: “To our knowledge, this is the largest study of alcohol consumption and long – term incidence of atrial fibrillation in the community.
Previous studies did not have sufficient power to investigate this question, although they were able to reveal a relationship between alcohol and heart and other blood vessel problems, such as heart attack and heart failure. In our study, we can now show that even very low regular alcohol consumption may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation.
“These decisions are important because alcohol should not be used on a regular basis, the ‘one glass of wine every day’ to protect the heart, as is often recommended for example in the newspapers. , without balancing the potential risks and benefits of all heart and blood vessel diseases, including atrial fibrillation. “
The researchers analyzed information on 107,845 participants in five community-based studies in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Italy. Participants underwent a medical examination at the time of admission to the studies between 1982 and 2010 and provided information on medical history, lifestyles (including alcohol and tobacco), rates. employment and learning. 100,092 participants had no atrial fibrillation at enrollment and their median age was nearly 48 years (range 24–97 years).
In the median follow-up period of nearly 14 years, 5,854 people developed atrial fibrillation. The associations between alcohol consumption and the risk of atrial fibrillation were similar for all types of alcohol and for both men and women.
In addition to the 16% increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared to teetotallers seen in people who consumed only one alcoholic beverage per day, the researchers found that the risk increased size with more alcohol; up to two drinks per day was associated with a 28% increased risk and this increased to 47% for those who ate more than four.
The exact ways in which large amounts of alcohol could stimulate atrial fibrillation is unknown. Studies have shown that short-term heavy drinking can trigger ‘holiday heart syndrome’ in some people, and in some patients with atrial fibrillation, very little alcohol can trigger arrhythmia events.
The findings of the study include that the study participants reported the type and amount of alcohol they drank and this may lead to underreporting; the available information did not allow the researchers to look at the effects of excessive drinking; some events of atrial fibrillation may be asymptomatic and therefore may not have been reported; only adults across Europe were included in the analyzes and so it may not be possible to generalize the results to other populations; as was the observational study, it can only reveal a link between alcohol and atrial fibrillation and not that alcohol causes atrial fibrillation.
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This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes.