In the past, atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most commonly seen heart arrhythmia, was linked to chronic alcohol abuse or long-term alcohol consumption. However, a new study has shown that drinking even one glass of alcohol could significantly and immediately increase the risk of AFib within a few hours of taking the drink. According to Medical XPress, UC San Francisco researchers highlighted how drinking less could be an easier way to prevent heart arrhythmias from occurring. Interested in learning more? See the full published research in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Alcohol Consumption

Over the last few years, research has gone back and forth on whether alcohol has any health-related benefits. For example, this article published in Drugs under Experimental and Clinical Research suggested that a specific type of white wine acted as a cardioprotective agent. Another article published in Experimental & Clinical Cardiology denoted how mild-to-moderate red wine consumption improves cardiac function. Yet these discussions have been largely controversial.

Within this particular study, researchers wanted to better understand how, when, where, and why an AFib episode may occur, and whether alcohol could play a role in tracking or preventing AFib. To begin, researchers sourced data from 100 patients with AFib. All of these patients drank at least one alcoholic beverage monthly. However, those with documented alcohol or substance abuse in the past were excluded from the research.

Over a month-long period, participants were monitored using ECG, alcohol sensors, and blood tests. Whenever patients had a drink, they would also record this by pressing a button. Altogether, researchers determined that participant consumption was a median of 1 drink daily. Researchers discovered that:

• Patients with higher blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) also had more AFib episodes.
• Overall, having an AFib episode was 2x more likely after just one alcoholic beverage, rising to 3x more likely with any additional drinks. This also increased the risk of experiencing an episode within 4 hours of drinking.

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is an irregular and often rapid heart rate which occurs when the upper and lower chambers of the heart are beating uncoordinatedly. This usually occurs due to heart abnormalities. However, additional AFib causes include high blood pressure, congenital heart defects, viral infections, lung diseases, sleep apnea, and stimulant exposure, among others.

Altogether, there are four forms of atrial fibrillation:

• Occasional/paroxysmal. In this form of AFib, symptoms may last for minutes to hours before going away.
• Persistent. In patients with persistent AFib, the heart rhythm fails to return to normal on its own, as it does in the paroxysmal form. Instead, patients with persistent AFib often require treatment, such as certain medications, to return heart rhythm to normal.
• Long-standing persistent. Next, patients with long-standing persistent AFib often experience continuous symptoms lasting for months to over a year.
• Permanent. Finally, patients with permanent AFib have a heart rhythm which can never be returned to normal.

Symptoms include:

• Exercise intolerance
• Fatigue
• Body weakness and/or general malaise
• Heart palpitations
• Lightheadedness and/or dizziness
• Confusion
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain or pressure
• Anxiety