Moderate Alcohol Consumption and its Effect on Heart Health: New Research Reveals the Mechanism

The effect of alcohol on health is one of the topics on which scientists are obviously not able to agree enough to come to a definite conclusion. In April, we published the conclusions of a meta-analysis conducted by Canadian scientists, according to which moderate alcohol consumption does not affect life expectancy in any way (that is, neither positively nor negatively).

However, some studies still show that light to moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to improved heart health, while this apparent health benefit of alcohol has puzzled doctors and scientists for a long time. Now, new research, conducted by scientists in New England, USA, finally offers a real explanation.

Alcohol and heart health

Web StudyFinds informs, that scientists have discovered for the first time that moderate alcohol consumption can lead to a long-term reduction in the brain’s stress response. This positive effect on stress systems appears to contribute significantly to the reduction of cardiovascular events in light to moderate drinkers. However, the authors of the study warn that their findings should not encourage anyone to drink “for health”.

„We are not advocating the use of alcohol to reduce the risk of heart attack or strokebecause alcohol also has other adverse effects on human health,” stated in a press release lead study author and cardiologist Ahmed Tawakol, who serves as co-director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“We wanted to understand how light to moderate alcohol consumption reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease, which has been shown in a number of other studies. And if we found this mechanism, our goal was to find other approaches that could replicate or induce the protective effects of alcohol on the heart without its adverse effects.” explains the reasons why he and his colleagues embarked on research.

Older studies have already indicated the benefits of alcohol

Earlier studies have already revealed that consuming a reasonable amount of alcohol (one drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day for men) is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it was still not clear whether alcohol induces any cardiovascular benefits, or whether other behaviors, socioeconomic status or other factors of light drinkers protect their hearts.

The 2021 study, led by Kenechukwu Mezue and Michael Osborne, involved more than 50,000 people registered at the Mass General Brigham Biobank. The first part included an evaluation of the relationship between light to moderate alcohol consumption and major adverse cardiovascular events. The researchers were sure to take into account a range of genetic, clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors.

The results showed that light or moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease. “We found that stress-related brain activity was higher in non-drinkers compared to moderate drinkers, while heavy drinkers (more than 14 drinks per week) had the highest levels of stress-related brain activity stress.” stated Kenechukwu Mezue.

Further research outlined a possible cause

The study authors analyzed a subset of 754 people who had previously undergone CT brain scans (mainly for cancer detection) in an attempt to determine the effect of light to moderate alcohol consumption on the activity of stress-related neural networks.

Brain scans showed reduced stress response in the amygdala – brain regions thought to be associated with stress. This was particularly evident in light or moderate drinkers compared to others who abstained from alcohol or drank very little. In addition, the researchers looked at the history of cardiovascular events in these individuals and noted fewer heart attacks and strokes in light to moderate drinkers.

“We found that changes in the brain of alcohol users explain a significant part of the protective effects on the heart,” adds Ahmed Tawakol. Modern medicine has long known that alcohol reduces the reactivity of the amygdala to threatening stimuli. However, the latest research suggests for the first time that light to moderate alcohol consumption has longer-term neurobiological effects in suppressing amygdala activity, which may result in significant downstream effects on the cardiovascular system.

“When the amygdala is too ‘alert and alert’, the sympathetic nervous system increases, which it increases blood pressure and heart rate and triggers the release of inflammatory cells,“ explains Tawakol. “When stress is chronic, it results in hypertension, increased inflammation, and a significant risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.” The research results were published in a professional journal Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Every coin has two sides

Finally, the researchers evaluated whether light drinking of alcohol is more effective at reducing heart attacks and strokes in people who are particularly prone to a chronically heightened stress response—for example, those with a history of significant anxiety. Indeed, in a sample of 50,000 patients, light to moderate drinking in those with this history was associated with almost twice the heart protective effect compared to other people.

But every coin has two sides. Here it is necessary to add that although light to moderate consumers reduced the risk of cardiovascular diseases, it turned out that any amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer. With higher alcohol consumption (more than 14 drinks per week), the risk of heart attack also began to increase and overall brain activity began to decrease, which may be associated with an adverse effect on cognitive function.

In conclusion, the researchers say that further efforts should focus on finding new interventions that can reduce stressful brain activity without additional harmful effects. The study authors are currently analyzing the effects of exercise, stress-reduction interventions such as meditation, and pharmacological therapies on stress-related neural networks and how they might produce cardiovascular benefits.