AHA warns of holiday binge drinking dangers and alcohol’s effects on perimenopausal women

24 Jul 2024 --- The American Heart Association (AHA) unveils two studies on the effects of alcohol on heart health at its Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2024 in Chicago, US. The preliminary animal model studies reveal the ways that alcohol consumption impacts heart and cardiovascular health and provides direction for future research and possible interventions.

The first study addresses what the research team from Ohio State University, US, has dubbed, “holiday heart syndrome.” The syndrome is a phenomenon in which holiday binge drinking leads to atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common and dangerous irregular heart rhythm. The team describes binge drinking as binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks within two hours for men and four or more for women. The practice has been linked to increased incidences of AFib.

“Repeated binge drinking can lead to serious arrhythmias. This includes AFib, which is the most common type of arrhythmia,” says lead author, Dr. Saugat Khanal. “The link between repeated binge drinking and arrhythmia at times of celebration is so well-known that medical professionals call it holiday heart syndrome which is caused by repeated binge drinking over the holidays.”

The second study looks at how alcohol impacts heart function in female rats in order to test the effects of alcohol on menopausal and perimenopausal women. Specifically, women receiving estrogen replacement therapy. Researchers at East Carolina University, US, point out that, though estrogen is known for its protective effects on heart and cardiovascular health, its interaction with alcohol may increase the risk of heart dysfunction.

The term “Holiday Heart Syndrome” describes AFib caused by binge drinking over the holidays.“It was surprising to see the significant impact estrogen had on alcohol-induced heart dysfunction, despite its known cardioprotective effects,” explains Dr. Syed Anees Ahmed, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in pharmacology and toxicology.

Facing the holidays
Previous research by the same Ohio State University research team identified a stress-induced protein, JNK2, and showed that elevated JNK2 levels, caused by binge drinking, can disrupt how calcium is processed in heart cells, leading to arrhythmias. 

In this latest study, mice exposed to binge drinking levels of alcohol exhibited AFib in over 70% of cases. The study also reveals that binge drinking doubled JNK2 activity compared to control groups.

However, the researchers note that mice treated with the cardioprotective agent Alda-1, showed no signs of AFib, though they state that the study's reliance on mouse models limits its applicability to human conditions.

“Around the holidays, opportunities for celebration — often accompanied by heavy drinking — occur during a brief period of time,” Dr. Khanal underscores. “Unfortunately, this sometimes sends revelers, even those with no previous heart condition, to the hospital with a racing or abnormally beating heart.”

“AFib can raise the risk of stroke and heart failure. About one-third of new AFib diagnoses are related to alcohol use. Recurrence of AFib is common in habitual binge drinkers. Abstinence from alcohol can prevent most alcohol-associated AFib risks. Unfortunately, despite nationwide education efforts, binge drinking among all age groups continues to rise.”

Surprising implications for women’s healthConsuming alcohol while undergoing estrogen replacement may worsen heart health for perimenopausal women.
The second study lasted eight-weeks and tested female rats with ovaries removed to simulate menopause. It compares heart function in rats given alcohol alone to those receiving both alcohol and estrogen replacement.

The results show mixed outcomes. The rats had lower weight gain and fat mass, but also experienced increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and a reduction in the heart’s ejection fraction — a measure of the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood.

Additionally, the results reveal disruptions in circadian-clock proteins, which regulate bodily processes such as sleep-wake cycles, increased oxidative stress and ferroptosis in the heart cells — a type of cell death that results from iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation in cells.

This occurred in the rats treated with both estrogen and alcohol and researchers state that these changes indicate a deterioration in heart function that could potentially lead to heart failure.

“Premenopausal and menopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy should be cautious about alcohol consumption because it may be a factor in heart dysfunction,” Ahmed concludes.

By William Bradford Nichols