Loading...
Binge drinking is associated with excess risk for atrial fibrillation (AF), but the effect of regular modest intake is unclear, especially in women. Researchers used data from the Women’s Health Study to explore this association in 34,715 female health professionals (median age, 53) who were free from known cardiovascular disease at baseline and were followed for a median 12.4 years; 653 incident cases of AF occurred.
The age-adjusted AF incidence rate for women with daily alcohol intake of <2 drinks was not significantly different from the rate for nondrinkers — roughly 1.5 incident cases per 1000 person-years. Risk for AF was roughly 60% higher for women who consumed ≥2 drinks daily than for nondrinkers, with an absolute incremental risk o…