For many, socializing involves consumption of alcohol. Enjoying a drink or two is often considered a social habit, helping people bond over to discuss and socialize. While most of us acknowledge the detrimental effects of alcohol, light drinking proponents rely on the theories claiming potential health benefits with significant belief that light drinking aids in better digestion, clears skin complexions, and even improves heart health.
However, the research study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital suggest differently.
Light Drinking Might Not Be Beneficial To Heart As It Is Previously Believed
Alcohol consumption is often a choice, albeit it might turn into an obsession. Previous studies do shed light on the benefits of heart health in light drinking. However, the recent study suggest that the benefit is credited to the lifestyle habits and not with the light alcohol consumption.
The study lead by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) was published in the JAMA Network Open in the year 2022. The research team was led by MGH, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard with 371,463 adults, and an average age of 57. This observational analysis was studied with the participants in the UK Biobank, one of the large-scale source for biomedical research.
The results showed a noteworthy relationship between heart health and alcohol intake. Heavy drinkers had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to light drinkers and abstainers. However, researchers identified that the benefit stems not with the alcohol consumption but with the lifestyle habits. In other terms, better lifestyle habits such as proper physical activity and nutritious diet significantly reduced the risk of coronary heart diseases.
Lifestyle change is the key
In addition, the researchers applied Mendelian randomization, a new method to evaluate if light drinking actually protects the risk of coronary heart diseases using genetic variants.
Krishna G.Agaram, cardiologist at MGH and associate scientist at the Broad institute says “We therefore leveraged these new techniques and expansive genetic and phenotypic data from biobank populations to better understand the association between habitual alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease.”
The analyses revealed that the risk of cardiovascular diseases in men and women increased with the alcohol consumption level. An additional analysis with over 30,000 participants in Mass General Brigham Biobank showed that cutting back on alcohol consumption substantially improved over-all health in individuals.
“The findings affirm that alcohol intake should not be recommended to improve cardiovascular health; rather, that reducing alcohol intake will likely reduce cardiovascular risk in all individuals, albeit to different extents based on one’s current level of consumption,” says Aragam.
It’s All About Lifestyle Changes
Further, the study has debunked the myths associated with light-drinking and the positive health benefits including coronary heart health.
The study concluded that alcohol consumption, at any level increases the risk of cardiovascular heart diseases. To lower the risk of potential heart ailments, cutting down on alcohol, with a proper lifestyle with a nutritious diet, and physical activity are cardinal.