Alcohol's Link to Cardiovascular Disease Not So Simple

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD

Moderate alcohol consumption seems associated with lower cardiovascular risks, but the relationship is highly nuanced, a study in The BMJ finds.

Researchers linked U.K. primary care, hospital, and mortality records to examine associations between alcohol consumption and CV outcomes in nearly 2 million men and women without CV disease at baseline. During some 6 years' follow-up, roughly 115,000 new CV events occurred.

Compared with moderate drinkers:

• Nondrinkers had increased risks for unheralded cardiac death (hazard ratio, 1.56), unstable angina, myocardial infarction, abdominal aortic aneurysm, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, and ischemic stroke (HR, 1.12).

• Heavy drinkers showed increased risks for cardiac arrest/sudden death (HR, 1.50), intracerebral hemorrhage, peripheral arterial disease, ischemic stroke, heart failure, unheralded coronary death, and transient ischemic attack (HR, 1.11).

• Occasional drinkers had higher risks for heart failure (HR, 1.19), myocardial infarction, unheralded coronary death, and peripheral arterial disease (HR, 1.11).

• Former drinkers showed some increased risks, but the authors say the findings align with the "sick quitter" hypothesis — that is, many people stop drinking when they become ill.