Not just a pint: Even light alcohol consumption linked to CVD

29 Mar 2022 --- Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, irrespective of the quantity, according to a UK study. The findings challenge past research suggesting light to moderate consumption of alcohol can provide health benefits.

The study involved 371,463 adults and suggests that previously identified observed benefits are linked to other lifestyle factors associated with the personalities of light to moderate drinkers. 

“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 senior author Dr. Krishna Aragam, cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Light to moderate drinkers were associated with healthier lifestyles.Translating to implications
Meanwhile, cutting back on consumption can greatly benefit the health of even those who drink one alcoholic beverage per day. This is especially true for those who consume alcohol in high amounts.

The findings could have implications for responsible drinking guidelines given by government organizations such as the USDA, which already recommends drinking in moderation. According to the USDA, the daily recommended intake for alcoholic beverages is two drinks or less for men and one or less for women. 

In 2020, Innova Market Insights highlighted that alcohol consumption has been on the decline across several global markets for the past few years. 

Mendelian randomization
The team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard found that heavy drinkers were at the highest risk of heart disease.

Participants in the study had an average age of 57 and consumed a mean of 9.2 drinks in a week. Light to moderate drinkers were found to have the lowest risk of heart disease, before those who abstained from drinking.  

However, the researchers also discovered that light to moderate drinkers shared healthier lifestyle choices than abstainers. Namely, they engaged in more physical activity and vegetable consumption, and smoked less. By controlling for these lifestyle choices, the benefit previously linked with alcohol consumption fell significantly.The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.

Using state-of-the-art research methods, the researchers looked at genetic variants to determine whether an observed link between an incidence and an outcome is likely to have a causal effect. 

“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 Aragam.

Genetics play a role
In the case of the study, researchers looked at whether light alcohol consumption actually caused a person to have a lower level of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers found that participants with genetic variants associated with higher alcohol consumption were more likely to consume alcohol in greater quantities, and also more likely to suffer from coronary artery disease and hypertension.

Importantly, there was a rise in risk of cardiovascular disease even at levels deemed relatively safe by USDA guidelines.

Noticeable differences in risk of cardiovascular complications across light, moderate and heavy drinkers were revealed. While there was a low increase in risk when going from no drinks to seven drinks per week, increasing from seven to 14 drinks per week increased risk significantly, with those consuming 21 drinks per week at a significant risk of heart disease. 

Industry has been paying attention to trends surrounding alcoholic beverages. According to the owner of Uddelaer Brewery, alcohol is on its way out, and is due to be taken over by healthier alternatives.

Edited by Olivia Nelson