Image by Terry Vlisidis/ Futurism Studies
Although scientists have struggled to determine whether alcohol is good for your health, a variety of studies have shown that wine can simultaneously increase and decrease the risk of developing cancer. Scientists have known for a long time that moderate amounts of alcohol, such as a glass with dinner, can have a slight protective effect on your heart health.
New research from the University of California San Francisco contradicts that assumption. According to Tuesday's research in Annals of Internal Medicine, even one drink of alcohol can increase your risk of having irregular heartbeats called atrial fibrillation (AF). AF can lead to fatal strokes or heart failure in severe cases. It can also be very painful and alarming in more mild cases.
Gregory Marcus, a UCSF cardiology professor and lead author of the study, stated in a press release that it does not appear that atrial fibrillation can be caused by heavy alcohol intake.
Scientists knew from the beginning that excessive drinking can lead to AF. A study of 100 patients found that a single drink could double the chance of having an AF episode in just a few hours. The risk of having AF episodes increased by at least one additional drink. The study found that the majority of patients had a history AF. This suggests that light drinking can exacerbate, but not necessarily cause, the condition.
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It is not easy to study the effects of alcohol on your health. This is especially true when you rely on participants to accurately report their alcohol consumption and how they account for other variables in their lives. This study removed some of the guesswork and gathered a more objective dataset. Participants were asked to periodically prick their fingers for alcohol measurement blood tests.
Marcus stated in the release that the effects are linear and the greater the chance of having an acute AF episode, the more Marcus said. Although these observations are consistent with what patients have reported for decades, this is the first objectively measurable evidence that modifiable alcohol exposure could significantly affect the likelihood of an AF episode.
