Drinking a little regularly worse than bingeing
Drinking alcohol most nights poses a greater risk to the heart than the odd binge, research suggests.
A study of nearly 10 million people found consuming alcohol five nights a week or more — even at very low levels — increases the odds of developing an abnormal heart rhythm more than heavy drinking once or twice a week.
The research found people who drank five or more times a week were more likely to develop atrial fibrillation in the next eight years than those who drank once or twice a week. Crucially, frequency of drinking seemed to be far more important than how much people drank. Although a higher total consumption of alcohol per week intake did slightly increase the risk, this was more than outweighed by the number of weekly drinking sessions.
The scientists found that those who spread out their drinking were at higher risk than those who drank a greater total in just one or two sessions a week. The risk was increased regardless of age or sex.
For example, those who drank moderately five or more times a week, consuming less than 26 units in total — around 11 pints of beer or three bottles of wine — were 32 per cent more likely to develop the heart condition than those who drank more than this in one or two sessions.
“Recommendations about alcohol consumption have focused on reducing the absolute amount rather than the frequency,” study author Dr Jong-Il Choi, of Korea University College of Medicine, said.
“Our study suggests that drinking less often may also be important to protect against atrial fibrillation,” he said.