The cardiologist called the surprising effect of alcohol on stress-related heart disease

A new study has found that alcohol in moderation can reduce the risk of stress-related heart disease. American researchers have found that reduced signaling in parts of the brain can have a significant impact on the cardiovascular system.

Mild to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of heart disease because it results in a long-term reduction in stress signaling in the brain. This is the conclusion of a new study.

But as The Guardian points out, cardiologists warn that the heart benefits don’t mean we should ignore the other dangers of alcohol.

“We do not advocate drinking alcohol to reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes due to other health consequences of drinking alcohol,” said cardiologist Ahmed Tawakol, lead author of the study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The researchers wanted to understand exactly how light to moderate alcohol consumption (one drink a day for women and one to two drinks a day for men) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, as numerous other studies have shown.

If the mechanism were understood, the goal would be to find other approaches that mimic the protective effects of alcohol without the side effects, said Ahmed Tavakol, MD, co-director of the hospital’s cardiovascular imaging research center.

The study, conducted by co-authors Kenechukwu Mezue and Michael Osborne, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, involved 50,000 people.

After adjusting for genetic, clinical, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors, the researchers found a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in people who consumed mild to moderate alcohol.

The researchers then examined a subgroup of 754 people who had previously undergone brain imaging to determine the effect of light/moderate drinking on neural network activity associated with resting stress.

Brain imaging showed reduced stress signaling in the amygdala, an area of ​​the brain associated with stress responses, in people who drank light to moderate compared to those who abstained from alcohol or drank little.

Alcohol has long been known to reduce amygdala reactivity to threatening stimuli when people drink, but this study is the first to indicate that mild to moderate drinking has a long-term neurobiological effect by reducing amygdala activity. which can have a significant subsequent effect on the cardiovascular system.

“When the amygdala is overly alert, the sympathetic nervous system fires up, which increases blood pressure and heart rate, and triggers the release of inflammatory cells,” says Tavacol. “If the stress is chronic, the result is hypertension, increased inflammation, and a significant risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

Finally, the researchers found that in a sample of 50,000 patients, mild to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with nearly double the cardioprotective effect in people with a history of anxiety compared to others.

The study also showed that any amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer. And with higher alcohol consumption—more than 14 drinks a week—the risk of a heart attack began to increase, while overall brain activity began to decline (which may be due to cognitive decline).