Heavy Drinking
Heavy alcohol consumption can raise levels of fats in the blood, leading to high blood pressure and heart failure. Alcohol has a high calorie content, and drinking a lot of it can contribute to obesity. This can cause a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. Excessive drinking or binge drinking can ultimately lead to weakening of the heart muscle, cardiac arrhythmia or abnormal heartbeat, and sudden cardiac death, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Binge drinking increases the risk of coronary heart disease in men and women, and increases hypertension in men, according to a study by U.S. and Canadian researchers. Hypertension can contribute to heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The 2002 study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, examined 1,154 men and women aged 18 to 64 over an eight-year period.
Bloodstream
When alcohol enters the body it eventually reaches the bloodstream, where it circulates through all the organs of the body, including the heart. This may be why heavy alcohol consumption can cause alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a disorder that causes the heart to become abnormally enlarged or thickened. This reduces the heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.
Periods of heavy drinking can cause heart rhythm disturbances and a rapid heart rate. In people who do not have alcohol or heart problems, the heart rate will return to normal in a few hours. But this rapid heart rate can cause sudden heart attack if the person does have underlying heart disease. Because many people don't know if they have heart disease, they should seek medical attention if they experience these abnormal heart rhythms after heavy drinking. An alcoholic who goes through these binges often risks heart disease and heart attack.
Controversy
There has been controversy over alcohol's effect on heart disease because of studies during the past several decades showing that drinking alcohol can reduce heart disease in some populations. It is suggested that the benefits mainly come from red wine, which contains antioxidants that reduce heart disease risk. Research also suggests that it is moderate drinking, one or two drinks a day, that leads to the benefits. The beneficial results in some of these studies may be due to lifestyle factors, such as exercise and low-fat diets, rather than alcohol, says the AHA. Many studies have not determined a specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the development of heart disease. For people who have had a heart attack, even moderate alcohol consumption can further damage the heart muscle.
