Study suggests link between binge drinking, heart damage
A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association indicates theremay be a link between binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption and heart damage
Reuters reported that researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,000 adults from northwest Russia. They found that heavy drinkingwas associated with increased levels of blood biomarkers that signify harm to heart tissue.
They included ones that showed a sign of heart muscle injury, a marker of heart-wall stretch associated with heart failure and ameasure of inflammation linked to atherosclerosis, a buildup of fats and other substances in the arteries.
There are two mechanisms that may influence howalcohol consumption can negatively affect the heart.
“The first one is related to increases in blood pressure due to heavy alcohol use,” said study leader Olena Iakunchykova, a doctorate candidate at the University of Tromso— The ArcticUniversity of Norway. “In turn, (high) blood pressure damages the structure and function of the heart. Second, alcohol can directly affect heart muscle by causing changes in its cell metabolism.”
In examining howbinge drinking leads to heart damage, Iakunchykova and her colleges recruited a mixed group of adults from Russia. Most of the group — 2,479 volunteers between the ages of 35 to 69 — were split into categories to determine their drinking habits. The other group— 278 patients— were undergoing clinical treatment for alcohol abuse.
The communitydwelling 2,479 volunteers were divided into four categories: hazardous drinkers, harmful drinkers, nonproblem drinkers and nondrinkers. The categorieswere based on volunteers’ self-described drinking habits.
Harmful drinkerswere found to have a dangerous drinking problem on two of three questionnaires. Hazardous drinkers had dangerous drinking issues on all three questionnaires.
All volunteerswere tested for biomarkers linked to heart damage at the beginning of the study. Volunteers in treatment for alcohol abuse had the highest of all three biomarker levels. Compared with nonproblem drinkers, biomarkers related to heart muscle injury, heart-wall stretching and inflammationwere increased by 10.3%, 46.7% and 69.2%, respectively.
Heart-wall stretch biomarkers for the community-.dwelling volunteerswas 31.5% higher among harmful drinkers compared with nonproblem drinkers. As alcohol consumption increased, so did the biomarkers for heart-wall stretching and inflammation.
Iakunchykova said the study shows “heavy drinking leads to damage of the structure and function of the heart.”
Researchers noted they were unable to account for the effects of smoking. The studywas also not made to prove cause and effect, as it pointed to a single moment in time.
Another study has found it doesn’t take just heavy drinking to create bodily damage. The Japanese study found that light to moderate drinking can increase the risk of cancer. Light drinking, whichwas defined in the study as drinking once each day for 10 years or consuming two beverages a day for five years, increased the general risk of cancer by 5%.