Uncorking the Mystery: Researchers Discover Why Light-to-Moderate Drinking Is Linked to Better Heart Health — Research findings could he |
Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may decrease heart disease risk by reducing brain stress signals, according to a study by Massachusetts General Hospital. However, alcohol, at any quantity, increases cancer risk, and heavy drinking harms brain activity and heart health. The researchers are investigating alternative, healthier ways to reduce brain stress activity.
Previous epidemiological studies have suggested that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. But it was unknown whether alcohol was inducing cardiovascular benefits, or whether light/moderate drinkers’ health behaviors, socioeconomic status, or other factors protected their hearts.
The brain imaging showed reduced stress signaling in the amygdala, the brain region associated with stress responses, in individuals who were light to moderate drinkers compared to those who abstained from alcohol or who drank little. And when the investigators looked at these individuals’ history of cardiovascular events, they found fewer heart attacks and strokes in light to moderate drinkers.
Finally, the investigators examined whether light/moderate alcohol would be even more effective at reducing heart attacks and strokes in people who are prone to a chronically higher stress response, such as those with a history of significant anxiety. They found that, within the 50,000-patient sample, light to moderate drinking was associated with nearly double the cardiac-protective effect in individuals with a history of anxiety compared with others.
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