Two new studies present insights into how alcohol affects heart health, focusing on the phenomena of holiday heart syndrome due to binge drinking and the impact of alcohol on heart function in menopausal women on estrogen replacement therapy. Credit: SciTechDaily.com An Anti-Arrhythmic Action and Novel Mechanisms of Alda-1 in Holiday Heart Syndrome (Poster Presentation Mo065/Khanal) Binge drinking (five drinks within two hours for men and four drinks within two hours for women) is common around the world.
Recent research has also found the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of irregular heart rhythm or arrhythmia, continues to rise, according to the study. “Around the holidays, opportunities for celebration – often accompanied by heavy drinking – occur during a brief period of time. Unfortunately, this sometimes sends revelers, even those with no previous heart condition, to the hospital with a racing or abnormally beating heart,” said Saugat Khanal, Ph.
D., lead author of the study and a post-doctoral scholar in the department of physiology & cell biology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. “Our study in mice explored the mechanism of alcohol-induced arrhythmia and a possible way to prevent it in the future.
” “Repeated binge drinking can lead to serious arrhythmias. This includes AFib, which is the most common type of arrhythmia.” Said Khanal.
“AFib can raise the risk of stroke and heart failure. Abo.