Heart health Even small amounts of alcohol damage women's hearts

Even small amounts of alcohol damage the heart function of women
Although moderate alcohol consumption was previously regarded as safe for health or even a positive health effect was associated with it. However, a recent study by researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston comes to the opposite conclusion - at least in terms of moderate alcohol consumption in the elderly and women in particular.

Moderate alcohol consumption can harm the heart of senior citizens, with a particularly negative effect on female heart function, reports BWH. As part of their current study, the researchers had Dr. Alexandra Goncalves studied the alcohol consumption and cardiac function of more than 4,400 adults with a mean age of 76 years. To determine the size, structure and movement of the different parts of the heart, they used the echocardiography. With their help, they find that women have already seen a slight reduction in heart function every day after consuming one alcoholic beverage. In men, from a consumption of more than two drinks per day increased impairments of the left ventricular wall were detectable.

Women's hearts are sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol. (Image: Minerva Studio / fotolia.com)

Current results contradict previous studies
"In an aging population, increasing alcohol consumption is associated with subtle changes in heart structure and function, with women being more vulnerable than men to the toxic effects of alcohol," says lead researcher Dr. Alexandra Goncalves. Women show impairments in their heart function as early as the consumption of a drink (a large beer, a glass of wine or a schnapps glass of high percentage). Although various previous studies have associated moderate alcohol use with a reduced risk of stroke or heart attack, the current findings contradict this statement - especially in women. The study was published in the journal "Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging".

Threatening heart disease even at low alcohol levels
Although benefits for cardiac function may actually be achieved with very low alcohol consumption, it remains unclear from which amount the opposite effect will occur, according to study author Goncalves. In addition, women are more sensitive than men to the toxic effects of alcohol on cardiac function. "Compared to men, women could develop alcohol-related heart disease by drinking a small amount of alcohol," says the researcher. The current findings would highlight the potential dangers to heart structure and function from alcohol use in the elderly and especially in women.

Even moderate alcohol consumption is a health risk?
In any case, institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association argue for a strictly limited use of alcohol in order to avoid possible negative consequences. For example, the American Heart Association recommends that men consume no more than one to two drinks a day, and that women should drink a maximum of one drink a day. The WHO recommends comparably low upper limits. However, according to the latest study results, even these quantities may still be overstated. Overall, the negative health consequences of alcohol consumption are a significant global problem, according to the WHO. In 2012, about 3.3 million deaths or 5.9 percent of all deaths worldwide were attributable to alcohol consumption. (Fp)