A Glass of Wine A Day Could Help Prevent Heart Failure

Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk for heart failure (HF), but not with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a recent study.

In their study, the researchers examined data on HF, AF, and alcohol intake from 22,824 participants who did not have HF or AF at baseline and were involved in the Moli-sanian Italian population-based study. Participants were followed for a median 8.2 years, and incident cases of AF and HF were identified based on discharge diagnoses and a national mortality registry.
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During follow-up, a total of 943 cases of HF and 554 cases of AF were identified.

The researchers found that former and occasional drinkers had comparable risks for developing HF compared with never drinkers. Consuming 1 to 4 alcoholic drinks per day was associated with a lower risk for HF and had a maximum risk reduction of 22% at 20 g per day, which was independent of common confounders.

However, the researchers did not observe an association between AF onset and alcohol intake.

In additional analyses with restrictions for regular or only-wine drinkers, age, sex, social status, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the researchers found similar results.

“Consumption of alcohol in moderation was associated with a lower incidence of HF but not with development of AF,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, Bonaccio M, et al. Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Associated With Lower Risk for Heart Failure But Not Atrial Fibrillation [published online October 11, 2017]. JACC Heart Failure. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2017.08.017.