Seoul: Alcohol lovers, take a note. Drinking small amounts of alcohol frequently is linked with a higher likelihood of atrial fibrillation than binge drinking, says a new study.
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Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder and raises the risk of stroke by five-fold. Symptoms include palpitations, racing or irregular pulse, shortness of breath, tiredness, chest pain and dizziness.
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“Our study suggests that drinking less often may also be important to protect against atrial fibrillation,” said study author Jong-Il Choi, from Korea University College in South Korea.
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For the study, published in the journal EP Europace, researchers examined the relative importance of frequent drinking versus binge drinking for new-onset atrial fibrillation.
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The analysis included 9,776,956 individuals without atrial fibrillation who underwent a national health check-up in 2009 which included a questionnaire about alcohol consumption.
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Participants were followed-up until 2017 for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation.
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The number of drinking sessions per week was the strongest risk factor for new-onset atrial fibrillation.
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Compared with drinking twice per week (reference group), drinking every day was the riskiest, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.412, while drinking once a week was the least risky (HR 0.933).
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Binge drinking did not show any clear link with new-onset atrial fibrillation.
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“Our study suggests that frequent drinking is more dangerous than infrequent binge drinking with regard to atrial fibrillation,” Choi said.
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The number of drinking sessions was related to atrial fibrillation onset regardless of age and sex.
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Repeated episodes of atrial fibrillation triggered by alcohol may lead to overt disease, the research notes.
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In addition, drinking can provoke sleep disturbance which is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation.
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There was a two per cent increase in the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation for each gram of alcohol consumed per week.
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Compared to mild drinkers, those who drank no alcohol, moderate, or high amounts had 8.6 per cent, 7.7 per cent, and 21.5 per cent elevated risks, respectively, the study said.
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The Morning and Evening Brief###
The Morning and Evening Brief