There are those who argue that a daily dose of alcohol is good for the heart. However, an article published in JAMA notes that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of infection heart disease or high blood pressure.
The research included medical data from nearly 400,000 people, with an average age of 57, who submitted their health and lifestyle information to the UK Biobank database.
When studying the data using Mendelian randomization—a methodology that attempts to identify causes among different variables—the scientists found no real cardiac benefit of alcohol consumption, even if done in a moderate manner.
The study indicates that the risk is small if people consume an average of seven drinks a week compared to non-alcoholic drinkers. However, it increases as quickly as the level Consumption grows.
For example, a middle-aged individual who does not drink alcohol has an estimated 9% chance of developing coronary heart disease – blockage of the coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle. For those who drink a day, the chance is 10.5%.
For heavy drinkers consuming up to 14 drinks per week, characteristics such as smoking less, exercising more and weighing less, were able to keep the risk at a level still considered low. When consumption exceeds 21 servings per week, the risks become very high.
“We have to start thinking about these moderate periods and informing patients. If you choose to drink, you should know that after a certain level, the risk increases exponentially. And if you choose to drink less, you get some benefits if you go into the seven drinks a week range. Krishna Aragam, MD, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of the study, told The New York Times in an interview.
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Previous research reported that drinking moderately heart protection From observational data, moderate drinkers have fewer heart disease than heavy drinkers.
However, this type of research is only able to determine the association and not the cause. for this reason, The Mendelian randomization method is more suggestive of causation, which gives more weight to the results now obtained.
Andrea Hargraves is a contributor to Brytfmonline.com, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is committed to delivering clear, accurate, and reader-focused reporting that helps audiences stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Andrea’s work emphasizes useful information, balanced coverage, and stories that matter to everyday readers, making complex topics accessible and relevant to a wide audience.