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- New research has found that drinking a small glass of wine or beer a day can lead to heart problems down the line.
- The largest study on alcohol use and atrial fibrillation (AF) found that people who drink one drink a day are 16% more likely to develop AF.
- Those who develop atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, have a higher risk of stroke and heart failure.
- The results directly challenge the idea that drinking alcohol in moderation has preventative qualities such as improving heart health.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
U.S. health officials recommend that men drink no more than two drinks per day and women drink no more than one drink per day to avoid dangerous side effects of long-term binge drinking like heart disease, high blood pressure, and liver disease.
But new research suggests that even drinking a small glass a day can have long-term health consequences.
Read more: Some experts say you should avoid drinking a lot before getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but you don’t have to cut off alcohol completely
A study published by the European Society of Cardiology analyzed data from 108,000 people in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Italy from 1982 to 2010. The results revealed people who drank 12 grams of ethanol per day. – the equivalent of a small glass of wine or beer – had a 16% increase in their risk of atrial fibrillation over the next 14 years.
The risk only increased with more alcohol consumption, as those who drank two drinks a day had a 28% increased risk and those who drank more than four a day rose to 47%.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs when your heart beats irregularly and rapidly, which can increase your risk for stroke and heart failure. According to the American Heart Association, 15% to 20% of strokes are caused by atrial fibrillation.
According to researchers, this is the largest study ever to examine the effects of alcohol on AF.
Although drinking four or more drinks a night, more commonly known as binge drinking, is associated with an increased risk of heart failure, researchers say the new findings challenge decades-old ideas about the preventative nature. alcohol in moderation.
The results question the idea that ‘a glass of red wine a day’ is healthy
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The idea that red wine helps prevent heart disease was popularized after scientists published an article on France’s culture of alcohol consumption and heart health as a case study in 1980 called endearingly “The French Paradox”.
The theory has had a lasting effect on public perception of red wine, but cardiologists say the health benefits of red wine are overrated. Kelly Burch of Insider previously reported that the American Heart Association has said that drinking red wine does not lead to a healthy heart.
One limitation to the study was that it only included European adults aged 24 to 97, so the data may not be generalizable to a global population.
However, according to Dr. Renate Schnabel, lead author of the study and cardiologist at the University Heart and Vascular Center in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, the findings directly call into question the French paradox.
“These findings are important because the regular consumption of alcohol, the ‘one glass of wine a day’ to protect the heart, as is often recommended for example in the secular press, probably should no longer be suggested without balancing the risks and the possible benefits for all diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including atrial fibrillation, ”said Schnabel.
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