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It has long been suspected that high alcohol intake predisposes one to certain cardiac arrhythmias, but the data in support of this contention are scanty. The present study provides the strongest evidence yet.
Over a five-year period, 107,139 people underwent a routine health assessment at a northern California health facility. Of these, 1322 were judged to be heavy drinkers (more than six drinks per day). A group of 2644 lighter drinkers (between one drink per month and one drink per day) was selected as the control group, and subjects were matched for age, sex, race, and cigarette use. Determination of the presence of a supraventricular arrhythmia was made by review of all subsequent electrocardiographic tracings.
Compared with the control …