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Tag: moderate alcohol consumption

  • Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Increase Health Risks?

    Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Increase Health Risks?

    Researchers explored a possible connection between moderate alcohol consumption and increased stroke risk.

    A comprehensive study on the health effects of alcohol consumption has produced data that may debunk former research which suggested that a daily drink could reduce one’s risk of stroke.

    The study, published last Thursday in The Lancet, used genetics and a sample population of over 500,000 people to answer questions raised by previous results. Recent studies have found that “moderate drinkers” seemed to have a lower risk of stroke and heart attack, but it was unclear if this data was affected by the fact that those who already have health problems tend to avoid alcohol.

    This latest study, co-authored by Zhengming Chen of the University of Oxford, got past this obstacle by testing a population of Chinese adults that researchers followed for 10 years. People with Chinese ancestry have a high likelihood of carrying a genetic intolerance to alcohol and are therefore already likely to avoid it.

    Chinese women in particular only reported drinking “most weeks” 2% of the time. In this population, consuming four drinks per day increased stroke risk by 35%.

    Alcohol is known to increase blood pressure, which can increase the risk of stroke. The results on heart attack risk were described as “less clear-cut,” but the study’s conclusion states that alcohol consumption “appears in this one study to have little net effect on the risk of myocardial infarction.”

    “Although alcohol increases blood pressure, we identified no clear net association with acute myocardial infarction, but the number of cases was limited,” the study concludes. “The number of strokes, however, was substantial, and the genetic epidemiological analyses show that alcohol intake uniformly increases blood pressure, ischaemic stroke, and haemorrhagic stroke.”

    Alcohol consumption is considered to be one of the top leading causes of death and disability in the world, causing or contributing to 2.8 million deaths each year. However, recent studies on alcohol and health seemed to show that drinking in moderation, especially drinking red wine, had some health benefits. In spite of this, the American Heart Association still recommended against moderate drinking due to the various health risks it poses. They also acknowledge the limitations of studies suggesting heart health benefits from alcohol.

    “The linkage reported in many of these studies may be due to other lifestyle factors rather than alcohol,” the AHA website reads. “Such factors may include increased physical activity, and a diet high in fruits and vegetables and lower in saturated fats. No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Having One Drink A Day Affect Your Health?

    Can Having One Drink A Day Affect Your Health?

    A new study investigated the connection between moderate drinking and hypertension.

    It’s long been suggested by studies that moderate alcohol consumption can be good for the heart—but a new study finds otherwise.

    Dr. Amer Aladin, a cardiovascular medicine fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health, led the study which looked at over 17,000 American adult’s medical records. They found a correlation between as little as one drink a day and increased risk for hypertension, or high blood pressure–a know risk factor for heart attack.

    The increased risk for hypertension was two-fold for moderate drinkers, the research showed. The study defined Stage 1 hypertension as a systolic top blood pressure reading of 130 to 139 mmHg and a diastolic bottom reading of 80 to 90 mmHg. Stage 2 hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or higher and a diastolic reading of 90 mmHg or more.

    “I think this will be a turning point for clinical practice, as well as for future research, education and public health policy regarding alcohol consumption,” lead author Dr. Aladin told NBC News. “[This is] the first study showing that both heavy and moderate alcohol consumption can increase hypertension,” he said.

    It is important to note that because the study was observational, it can only show a correlation between drinking and hypertension—it does not prove cause and effect. 

    The Wake Forest researchers, led by Dr. Aladin, looked at the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), a large decades long study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This data included 17,059 U.S. adults who signed on to NHANES between 1988 and 1994.

    The five groups included abstainers; former drinkers; those who consumed one to six drinks a week; those who consumed seven to 13 drinks a week; and heavy drinkers who consumed 14 or more drinks a week.

    Factors taken into account were age, sex, race, smoking status, physical activity BMI, cholesterol, and diabetes. Comparing moderate drinkers with non-drinkers, the drinkers were 1.5 times more likely to develop stage 1 hypertension and twice as likely to develop stage 2 hypertension. Heavy drinkers were 2.5 times more likely than non-drinkers to develop severe hypertension.

    Dr Marcin Kowalski directs cardiac electrophysiology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. He told Health24 that the study “gives us more insight to the negative effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system.” He continued that Americans drink too much and “should be encouraged in the general population and especially in patients at higher risk for developing hypertension”.

    View the original article at thefix.com