1 Alcoholic Drink A Day Lowers Risk of Heart Failure
Having 1 alcoholic drink a day in early-middle age is associated with decreased risk of heart failure later in life, according to a new study.
While previous research has shown that heavy amounts of alcohol consumption can lead to heart failure, the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and heart health was less clear.
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In order to further explore the relationship, researchers followed 14,629 participants without heart failure at baseline in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. The participants (age 45-64) were followed by researchers for 24 to 25 years.
Self-reported alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline, and updated at 3 follow-up visits over the study’s duration. From this data, participants were divided into the following groups:
- Abstainers
- Former drinkers
- Those who drink up to 7 drinks a week
- Those who drink up to 14 drinks a week
- Those who drink 14-21 drinks a weeks
- Those who drink 21 or more drinks a week
Note: 1 drink is equal to 14 g of alcohol.
During the study, 1271 men and 1237 women developed heart failure. Researchers found that men and women who consumed 7 drinks a week had a 20% and 16% lower risk of developing heart failure compared to the abstainers.
Furthermore, former drinkers were found to have the greatest risk of developing heart failure—19% in men and 17% in women.
Interestingly, individuals who consumed the most alcohol during the study did not have significantly different risk of heart failure than abstainers. However, those who consumed 21 drinks or more a week also reported an increased risk of all-cause mortality.
“These findings suggest that despite the dangers of heavy drinking, modest alcohol consumption in early-middle age may be associated with a lower risk for heart failure,” researchers concluded.
—Michael Potts
Reference
Goncalves A, Claggett B, Jhund PS, et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of heart failure: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. European Heart Journal. 2015 January [epub ahead of print]. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu514.