Large study challenges the theory that light alcohol consumption
benefits heart health
Any observed benefit likely results from other lifestyle factors common
among light to moderate drinkers, say researchers

Date:
March 25, 2022
Source:
Massachusetts General Hospital
Summary:
In an observational analysis of UK Biobank participants, light
to moderate drinkers had the lowest heart disease risk, followed
by people who abstained from drinking; however, light to moderate
drinkers tended to have healthier lifestyles than abstainers, which
likely accounted for their better heart health. Genetic evidence in
this same population suggested that all levels of alcohol intake are
associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Notably, the risk
of cardiovascular disease linked to light alcohol consumption was
modest but rose exponentially with higher intake, even at intake
levels currently endorsed as 'low risk.'


FULL STORY ========================================================================== Observational research has suggested that light alcohol consumption may
provide heart-related health benefits, but in a large study published in
JAMA Network Open, alcohol intake at all levels was linked with higher
risks of cardiovascular disease. The findings, which are published by a
team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, suggest that the supposed benefits
of alcohol consumption may actually be attributed to other lifestyle
factors that are common among light to moderate drinkers.


==========================================================================
The study included 371,463 adults -- with an average age of 57
years and an average alcohol consumption of 9.2 drinks per week --
who were participants in the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical
database and research resource containing in-depth genetic and health information. Consistent with earlier studies, investigators found that
light to moderate drinkers had the lowest heart disease risk, followed
by people who abstained from drinking. People who drank heavily had
the highest risk. However, the team also found that light to moderate
drinkers tended to have healthier lifestyles than abstainers -- such as
more physical activity and vegetable intake, and less smoking. Taking
just a few lifestyle factors into account significantly lowered any
benefit associated with alcohol consumption.

The study also applied the latest techniques in a method called Mendelian randomization, which uses genetic variants to determine whether an
observed link between an exposure and an outcome is consistent with
a causal effect - - in this case, whether light alcohol consumption
causes a person to be protected against cardiovascular disease. "Newer
and more advanced techniques in 'non-linear Mendelian randomization'
now permit the use of human genetic data to evaluate the direction
and magnitude of disease risk associated with different levels of an
exposure," says senior author Krishna G. Aragam, MD, MS, a cardiologist
at MGH and an associate scientist at the Broad Institute. "We therefore leveraged these new techniques and expansive genetic and phenotypic data
from biobank populations to better understand the association between
habitual alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease." When the scientists conducted such genetic analyses of samples taken from participants,
they found that individuals with genetic variants that predicted higher
alcohol consumption were indeed more likely to consume greater amounts of alcohol, and more likely to have hypertension and coronary artery disease.

The analyses also revealed substantial differences in cardiovascular risk across the spectrum of alcohol consumption among both men and women,
with minimal increases in risk when going from zero to seven drinks
per week, much higher risk increases when progressing from seven to
14 drinks per week, and especially high risk when consuming 21 or more
drinks per week. Notably, the findings suggest a rise in cardiovascular
risk even at levels deemed "low risk" by national guidelines from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (i.e. below two drinks per day for men
and one drink per day for women).

The discovery that the relationship between alcohol intake and
cardiovascular risk is not a linear one but rather an exponential one
was supported by an additional analysis of data on 30,716 participants
in the Mass General Brigham Biobank. Therefore, while cutting back on consumption can benefit even people who drink one alcoholic beverage
per day, the health gains of cutting back may be more substantial --
and, perhaps, more clinically meaningful -- in those who consume more.

"The findings affirm that alcohol intake should not be recommended to
improve cardiovascular health; rather, that reducing alcohol intake will
likely reduce cardiovascular risk in all individuals, albeit to different extents based on one's current level of consumption," says Aragam.

The study's lead author was Kiran J. Biddinger, and additional authors
included Connor A. Emdin, MD, DPhil, Mary E. Haas, PhD, Minxian Wang,
PhD, George Hindy, MD, Patrick T. Ellinor, MD, PhD, Sekar Kathiresan,
MD, and Amit V. Khera, MD, MSc.

Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Massachusetts_General_Hospital. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kiran J. Biddinger, Connor A. Emdin, Mary E. Haas, Minxian Wang,
George
Hindy, Patrick T. Ellinor, Sekar Kathiresan, Amit V. Khera,
Krishna G.

Aragam. Association of Habitual Alcohol Intake With Risk of
Cardiovascular Disease. JAMA Network Open, 2022; 5 (3): e223849
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.3849 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220325122708.htm

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