'Safe' alcohol consumption may not be so safe

Some scientists from Ireland have conducted a recent study which has unearthed that levels of alcohol consumption currently regarded as safe by some countries are linked with the development of heart failure. The findings of the study were published in the journal, ‘Cardiology’.

It is well-known that long-term heavy alcohol use can cause a type of heart failure known as alcoholic cardiomyopathy, but evidence from Asian populations now suggests that lower amounts can also be harmful to health.

The study covered 744 adults over 40 years of age either at risk of developing heart failure due to risk factors (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity) or with pre-heart failure (risk factors and heart abnormalities but no symptoms).The average age of the group was 66.5 years and 53 percent of them comprised of women. The study didn’t include former drinkers and heart failure patients with symptoms.

“This study adds to the body of evidence that a more cautious approach to alcohol consumption is needed. To minimise the risk of alcohol causing harm to the heart, if you don’t drink, don’t start. If you do drink, limit your weekly consumption to less than one bottle of wine or less than three-and-a-half 500 ml cans of 4.5 percent beer,” said study author Dr. Bethany Wong of St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.