We all know that excessive alcohol consumption is bad for health, but what about regular 'recreational' drinking of alcohol in small quantities?
Cardiologists fear that too many people still believe in the myth that a small glass of wine or beer does not harm, but even slightly benefits health. Daily drinking of alcohol, even in very small quantities, increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder, which is , after extrasystole, the most common cardiac arrhythmia. It is the condition that causes palpitations in patients, a feeling of lack of breath, chest pains, dizziness, loss of consciousness, but it can also be completely asymptomatic, so the problem is discovered accidentally.
According to data from the British National Health Service, this problem affects seven percent of people over the age of 65. And although such alcohol consumption is usually not life-threatening, it can cause a lot of discomfort in life, and it is also associated with strokes.
Even a glass of wine a day has consequences for the health of the heart, it was determined in a large study by the Heart Center at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, which processed data collected on 100,000 people who had been followed for 14 years and had not previously suffered from atrial fibrillation. .
The research showed that in those 14 years, more than 5,800 subjects developed this type of heart arrhythmia for the first time, and the risk was higher the higher the regular consumption of alcohol.
It has been shown that even one glass of beer or wine per day, or about 12 grams of alcohol, increases the risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias by 16 percent compared to people who did not consume alcoholic beverages. The risk increased by 28 percent for people who consumed two glasses of alcohol a day.
The authors of the study note that a glass of alcohol every now and then does not pose an immediate risk for people in good health.
The first symptoms of atrial fibrillation are palpitations and rapid heart rate, you can read more about that HERE. These patients are recommended to completely avoid alcoholic beverages.
If you want to reduce your desire for alcohol, read on HERE.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the team of experienced phytotherapists for a free consultation: 092 352 7589 or 099 645 0504
