A new study turns the conventional wisdom about the protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption on its head, concluding that it’s not how much one drinks at any one session, but how often one drinks that poses the risk for atrial fibrillation.
The new study in EP Europace, an academic journal published by the European Heart Rhythm Association involves nearly 10 million patients without atrial fibrillation (AF). Compared with patients who drink twice per week, those who drink once per week showed the lowest risk and those who drink everyday had the highest risk for new-onset AF, respectively.
The amount of alcohol intake per drinking session did not present any clear association with new-onset AF. Regardless of whether weekly alcohol intake exceeded 210 g, the frequency of drinking was significantly associated with the risk of new-onset AF.
In contrast, when patients were stratified by weekly alcohol intake (210 g per week), those who drink large amounts of alcohol per drinking session showed a lower risk of new-onset AF.
Avoiding the habit of consuming a low but frequent amount of alcohol might therefore be important to prevent AF, the study concludes.