Alcohol has a hidden impact on heart health

Alcohol has long been associated with social gatherings, celebrations, and moments of relaxation, but its impact on heart health is often overlooked and underestimated.

If you’ve ever found your heart pounding in your chest after a night of intense partying, you might have just shrugged it off as a typical hangover symptom, assuming it to be a temporary discomfort.

However, recent animal research studies have unveiled a far more significant and concerning connection between alcohol and heart health.

These insights could fundamentally alter the way we perceive our favorite intoxicant and prompt us to reconsider our drinking habits.

Holiday heart syndrome

Globally, binge drinking is rampant. This term is defined as consuming five drinks within two hours for men, and four drinks within two hours for women.

Interestingly, a surge in atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of irregular heart rhythm, has also been observed. These episodes of AFib often coincide with periods of heavy drinking. This correlation is so common that it has been aptly named “holiday heart syndrome.”

Saugat Khanal is a postdoctoral scholar in the department of physiology & cell biology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus.

“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 Khanal.

“Our study in mice explored the mechanism of alcohol-induced arrhythmia and a possible way to prevent it in the future.”

Binge drinkers, even without any pre-existing heart conditions, often find themselves admitted to the hospital with irregular heartbeats. Heavy drinking provokes this condition due to the stress-induced protein called JNK2 as studies found out.

Under the influence of alcohol, the heart cells mismanage calcium, causing the heart to beat too fast or irregularly.

Possible beacon of hope for binge drinkers

These preliminary studies are now giving us a solution to this worrisome trend. An agent known as Alda-1 has shown promise in preventing the activation of JNK2 that leads to AFib.

During the study, mice subjected to alcohol mimicking binge drinking were divided into different groups. One of these groups was given Alda-1.

The results were astounding. More than 70% of the mice replicating binge drinking developed AFib, while none of those who received Alda-1 showed any sign of AFib.

The levels of JNK2 activity doubled in the alcohol group, which increased the susceptibility to AFib. Conversely, in the Alda-1 group, both the JNK2 enzyme activity and calcium handling remained normal in the heart cells.

“Abstinence from alcohol can prevent most alcohol-associated AFib risks. Unfortunately, despite nationwide education efforts, binge drinking among all age groups continues to rise. Our findings suggest that developing new drugs, including Alda-1 and other JNK2-specific inhibitors, may be an effective anti-AFib strategy for people with holiday heart syndrome,” said Khanal.

Although promising, these findings are currently limited in scope. The experiment was conducted on mice, which may not fully represent the complexities of human physiology and binge drinking’s cardiovascular impacts.

“Studies using larger animals will be a future direction to translate our exciting findings into clinical applications,” noted Khanal.

Alcohol, estrogen, and heart health in women

On the other spectrum, alcohol seems to unfavorably influence heart function in women taking estrogen replacement.

Syed Anees Ahmed is a postdoctoral researcher in pharmacology and toxicology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

“It was surprising to see the significant impact estrogen had on alcohol-induced heart dysfunction, despite its known cardioprotective effects. Premenopausal and menopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy should be cautious about alcohol consumption because it may be a factor in heart dysfunction,” said Ahmeed.

In a study involving female rats, regular alcohol exposure showed differing effects on rats that received hormones to replenish their estrogen supply and those that did not.

Intriguingly, alcohol seemed to disrupt clock proteins, known regulators of heart function. This disruption led to increased oxidative stress, which can trigger plaque build-up in arteries, and ferroptosis, a type of cell death resulting from excessive iron accumulated in the heart cells.

Rethinking binge drinking

These findings are a call to rethink binge drinking practices, especially during holiday periods.

Additionally, women undergoing hormonal replacement therapy or higher levels of estrogen should exercise caution when consuming alcohol.

However, it’s essential to remember that these studies were conducted on animal models. Therefore, they might not fully exhibit the long-term effects of alcohol consumption on the human heart.

Nonetheless, the American Heart Association advises moderation in alcohol consumption to maintain optimal cardiovascular health.

The key takeaway from these studies is clear: while moderate consumption might be permissible, binge drinking is a lurking danger for our hearts.

Awareness and self-restraint might just be the difference between a night of fun and a trip to the hospital.

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