Partygoers who have had a lot of alcoholic beverages may also be getting something else that they didn’t bargain for in the form of cardiac arrhythmias. The study published in the European Heart Journal reveals some sobering findings, revealing that binge drinking can have concerning effects on our hearts, even in healthy young people, including clinically relevant arrhythmias.
The MunichBREW Studies
The results of this study evaluating the negative effects of alcohol really should not come as much of a surprise, being that it is one of the strongest cell toxins that exists. This study builds off of the LMU University Hospital’s MunichBREW I Study, which examined the connection between excessive alcohol consumption and cardiac arrhythmia, but only through an electrocardiogram (ECG) snapshot.
This study set out to gain a more detailed picture. Venturing out with mobile equipment to various destinations attended by young adults in which there would be a high likelihood “that many of the partygoers would reach breath alcohol concentrations (BAC) of at least 1.2 grams per kilogram,” said Professor Stefan Brunner. These intoxicated young adults became the participants of the MunichBREW II Study, which is the World’s largest investigation to date of acute alcohol consumption and ECG changes in prolonged ECGs spanning several days.
Investigating alcohol and heart arrhythmia
The team evaluated data from over 200 young adult partygoers with peak blood alcohol values of up to 2.5 grams per kilogram, meaning that they had quite a few drinks. ECG devices monitored their cardiac rhythms for a total of 48 hours, with the researchers distinguishing between the baseline (hour 0), the drinking period (hours 1-5), the recovery period (hours 6-19), and two control periods corresponding to 24 hours after the drinking and recovery periods, respectively.
Acute intake was monitored by BAC measurements during the drinking period. While ECGs were analyzed for heart rate, heart rate variability, atrial fibrillation, and other types of cardiac arrhythmias. Despite the festive mood of the study participants, the quality of the ECGs was almost universally high throughout the participants, revealing that their hearts were out of sync, especially in recovery phase.
“Clinically relevant arrhythmias were detected in over five percent of otherwise healthy participants,” explains Moritz Sinner, “and primarily in the recovery phase.” Alcohol intake during the drinking period led to an increasingly rapid pulse of over 100 beats per minute. Alcohol, it would seem, can profoundly affect the autonomous regulatory processes of the heart. “Our study furnishes, from a cardiological perspective, another negative effect of acute excessive alcohol consumption on health,” emphasizes Brunner.
Perhaps the next time you are thinking about going out on a bender it might be a good idea to think of your heart and maybe not drink quite as much booze. The safe amount of alcohol to drink is a topic of debate with some going as far as to say there is no safe amount. The one thing most studies do agree on is that when it comes to binge drinking, excess alcohol consumption leads to a higher risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, the long-term harmful effects of alcohol-related cardiac arrhythmia on cardiac health remains a subject for further research.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Content may be edited for style and length.
References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://www.lmu.de/en/index.html
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae695
https://worldhealth.net/news/alcohol-increases-risk-heart-disease/
