Research uncovers cardiac issues in youthful party-goers
Researchers have consistently warned about the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption on the heart. A recent study conducted in Munich now adds to this concern, suggesting that binge drinking can also lead to heart rhythm problems in young, healthy individuals. The study discovered heart rhythm disorders in several individuals who engaged in heavy drinking.
Moritz Sinner, a member of the research team from the Medical Clinic and LMU Hospital, explains, "Clinically significant arrhythmias were observed in over 5% of otherwise healthy participants, predominantly during the recovery phase." He further adds, "Our study provides yet another adverse impact of acute excessive alcohol consumption on health, from a cardiological perspective."
The study involved monitoring the heart rhythms of over 200 young adults who regularly consume several alcoholic drinks. Their peak blood alcohol level reached up to 2.5 per mille during the study. The findings were published in the journal "European Heart Journal".
The long-term implications are still unclear
The researchers tracked the participants' heart rhythms for 48 hours using an ECG. They categorized the data into the baseline value before drinking, the drinking phase, the recovery phase, and two control phases. The consumption of alcohol during the drinking phase led to a heart rate exceeding 100 beats per minute.
Although the researchers have discovered that alcohol can significantly disrupt heart functions, the long-term implications of these rhythm disorders on heart health are yet to be established.
The study commenced during Oktoberfest
The Medical Clinic and LMU Hospital team initiated the MunichBREW-I study during the 2015 Oktoberfest. At the time, doctors like Sinner and Stefan Brunner already linked excessive alcohol consumption to heart rhythm disorders, but their research was based on a single ECG reading.
Other studies have also reported negative effects on the heart. A study published a few years back by the University Heart and Vessel Center at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) found that even moderate alcohol consumption can trigger atrial fibrillation, and this can occur in healthy individuals devoid of pre-existing conditions.
The study's findings suggest that other alcoholic beverages, like those regularly consumed by the participants, may also contribute to heart rhythm problems. Even moderate consumption of alcohol, as reported in another study, has been linked to triggering atrial fibrillation, which can occur in healthy individuals with no pre-existing conditions.
