Despite the many harms linked to alcohol, research has also shown light-to-moderate drinking can have heart-protecting benefits. A new study may explain how that’s possible.
After analyzing survey data and brain scans, experts at Massachusetts General Hospital found alcohol’s link to lowering the risk of heart disease may have something to do with reducing stress, according to the report published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“It’s pretty well established that stress can lead to downstream cardiovascular events like (heart attacks) and strokes,” said Dr. Nishant Shah, cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Clinical Research institute, who was not involved in the study. “It’s one of the first studies ever to not only correlate clinical information but also brain imaging to understand mechanistically what’s going on.”
But that doesn’t mean more people should be drinking, health experts say.
“The goal would be to find other approaches that could replicate or induce alcohol’s protective cardiac effects without the adverse impacts of alcohol,” said senior author Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, cardiologist and co-director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center of Massachusetts General Hospital.
Alcohol, stress & heart health: Study findings
Researchers analyzed survey data from more than 50,000 people that looked at the relationship between alcohol consumption and major cardiovascular events.
After adjusting for genetic, clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors, they confirmed what previous studies have shown: Light to moderate drinking was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events.
Authors also studied brain imaging from about 750 light to moderate drinkers and found reduced signaling in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain associated with stress responses.
How long alcohol stays in the systemThat depends on several factors.
“When the amygdala is too alert and vigilant, the sympathetic nervous system is heightened, which drives up blood pressure and increases heart rate,” Tawakol said. “If the stress is chronic, the result is hypertension, increased inflammation, and a substantial risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
This mechanism may be more striking in people who are prone to a higher stress response, researchers discovered. In the study, light to moderate drinking was associated with nearly double the heart-protective effect in people with a history of anxiety.
Shah said the finding may have other implications for health care providers who have patients with anxiety: “Flag them in your mind as risk for cardiovascular events.”
What does alcohol do to you?
The new study also found any amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer and higher amounts of alcohol consumption, or more than 14 drinks a week, increased heart attack risk and decreased overall brain activity.
The findings are in line with previous research that shows heavy drinking can cause all sorts of health problems, including:
- Liver disease
- Certain types of cancer
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Increased risk of accidents, like falls and car crashes
Some evidence has even suggested alcohol can exacerbate the effects of dementia, experts say.
“Excessive consumption of alcohol in general is not good for you,” Shah said. “The results of this particular study certainly need to be interpreted with caution.”
How many drinks of alcohol is OK?
The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that for those who choose to drink, men should consume no more than two drinks a day on any drinking day and women no more than one.
It’s unclear what types of alcohol were consumed by study participants or how often, Shah said, which may be one of the study’s limitations. More research is needed to know if this could make a difference in heart health.
Alcohol-free ways to reduce stress
Study authors plan to focus their research on interventions that reduce the brain’s stress without alcohol, including exercise, meditation and possible medications.
Relaxation techniques are important to maintain a healthy heart, Shah said.
“We recommend people really take time for themselves and focus on relaxation and try to take time away for all the hustle and bustle that daily life tends to have,” he said.
What are Americans drinking this summer?Tequila, Modelo, canned cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks
Contributing: Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
