NIH on Alcoholism: Alcohol and Coronary Heart Disease

By HelloLife

Among all of the negatives associated with alcohol consumption, is it really possible that there could be a positive effect as well? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) attempted to answer that question in a recently released "Alcohol Alert" about alcohol and coronary heart disease (CHD). Previous research indicated that moderate alcohol consumption might be associated with a lowered CHD risk. Now, the NIAAA explores the reasons for the link and the surprising extent of alcohol's role.

Heart Attacks and CHD

Each year, approximately 500,000 deaths are caused by heart attacks or other forms of CHD. These instances account for 25 percent of the country's total mortality. People are actively trying to prevent heart diseases through diet and exercise methods. The consumption of alcohol and a reduced risk of CHD could be the result of dieting and lifestyle practices, and the physical affects of alcohol.

Alcohol, Heart Attacks, and CHD

Although a lowered risk for CHD was shown for some people who drank moderate levels of alcohol, there is no definite evidence suggesting that the alcohol itself is the reason for the reduction. The comparison between heavy alcohol drinkers and moderate alcohol drinkers was not surprising as the moderate alcohol drinkers had fewer health risks. However, what about the comparison between the moderate alcohol drinkers and the abstainers? One idea was that a number of the abstainers were alcoholics or heavy drinkers at one point in time. This means that damage had already been done to their systems. So, they might currently be only drinking moderate levels of alcohol, but their bodies would be far from healthy. That line of thinking might make sense, but it was discounted in the research. Diet and exercise are the areas that the NIAAA is focusing on. The gathered epidemiologic data reveals that moderate alcohol drinkers also consume less fat and cholesterol than heavy drinkers and abstainers. Plus, the level of regular exercise was more pronounced in moderate alcohol drinkers. Still, other research shows that the effect of alcohol on CHD is not because of diet, and the extent of physical activity needs to be studied more. Physically, a heart attack occurs when the coronary arteries are blocked by cholesterol or other fatty substances. When this takes place, the oxygen-containing blood cannot be fully delivered to the heart. A heart attack is the most common form of CHD. Other forms range from chest pains to sudden death. Alcohol might prevent arterial narrowing and blood clotting in laboratory test animals. Basically, the alcohol could alter the amount of fatty acids and cholesterol build-up. Clot-inducing chemicals that are released from the arterial wall into the blood were suppressed when exposed to alcohol. There have not been extensive studies performed to examine the correlation between alcohol and CHD in humans.

The Risks of Alcohol

Even if the above studies were confirmed for humans, they would not lessen the other negative effects of alcohol consumption. Alcohol can react harmfully with medications that are prescribed as the treatment of heart diseases. Therefore, the risk of unhealthy effects after a heart attack is raised with alcohol. Drinking alcohol also increases the risk of developing other forms of heart disease, such as cancer, liver cirrhosis, and trauma. Out of the different alcoholic beverages, red wine was shown to possibly have the biggest impact on CHD protection, suggesting that the ingredients in certain drinks might be the cause, and not the alcohol. Alcohol's supposed anti-clotting characteristics could substantially raise the risk of bleeding within the brain, otherwise known as a hemorrhagic stroke.

Sources:

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa45.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcoholism/DS00340

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcoholism/DS00340/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies