Moderate drinking a risk to men’s heart

Drinking just a few glasses of wine a week can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation – but only among men.
These are the conclusions of a new thesis from Umeå University.

It is Cecilia Johansson, doctor and doctoral student at Umeå University, who has analyzed data on roughly 100,000 participants in Västerbotten’s health examinations, of which approximately 5,000 people had atrial fibrillation. Among those included in the study, a clear link between alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation was seen among men, but not among women.

Men who drank more than 4.8 standard glasses per week were 20 percent more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than men who drank less than 0.9 glasses per week. A standard glass corresponds to 12 centiliters of wine or 33 centiliters of strong beer.

Body size affects

Drinking 4.8 standard glasses is equivalent to less than a bottle of wine a week. That is barely half of what is in other contexts classified as risky use of alcohol.

Also other factors that affected the risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation. Large adults were at higher risk, and this did not only apply to people with a high BMI, but also to being large in general. However, it was not possible to see that the risk was affected if the person had gained or lost weight during the ten-year period studied.

Relationship with blood pressure

A third risk factor was blood pressure. A higher pressure was linked to an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation. Even in people with a blood pressure above 120/80, it was possible to see an increased risk.

The thesis is partly based on a study of ECG measurements and medical records for 607 people who had atrial fibrillation between 2011 and 2012 in Skellefteå and Norsjö municipalities, and partly on data from around 100,000 people who underwent Västerbotten’s health examinations during the period 1998 to 2014.