RELATED: Eating This 4 Times a Week Slashes Heart Attack Death Risk, Study Says. For decades, a controversial debate has raged on within the medical community on the potential health risks and benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. But according to a policy brief released by the World Heart Federation (WHF) on Jan. 20, the international medical organization is warning that not only does a daily glass of wine not promote health benefits but that “no amount of alcohol is good for the heart.” “At the World Heart Federation, we decided that it was imperative that we speak up about alcohol and the damages to health, as well as the social and economic harms, because there is an impression in the population in general, and even among health care professionals, that it is good for the heart,” Beatriz Champagne, PhD, chair of the advocacy committee that produced the report, told CNN in an email. “It is not, and the evidence has increasingly shown that there is no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for health.” According to the full policy brief released by the WHF, there were more than 2.4 million alcohol-related deaths in 2019, accounting for 4.3 percent of all mortality globally. This includes 12.6 percent of deaths of men between the ages of 15 and 49. And while consuming alcoholic beverages has been linked by research to cancer, digestive illnesses, and risk factors resulting in injuries, it has also been found to have a negative effect on heart health.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “The evidence is clear: any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life,” the WHF wrote in a press release announcing the brief. “Studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary disease, stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, and aneurysm.”
RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. The policy brief also takes aim at previous studies that have concluded that an occasional libation might provide some level of heart health benefits. The WHF argues that such research often relies on unreliable observational data while also failing to consider other factors such as pre-existing conditions and medical histories in participants. “The portrayal of alcohol as necessary for a vibrant social life has diverted attention from the harms of alcohol use, as have the frequent and widely publicized claims that moderate drinking, such as a glass of red wine a day, can offer protection against cardiovascular disease,” Monika Arora, PhD, member of the WHF Advocacy Committee and co-author of the latest brief, said in the press release. “These claims are at best misinformed and at worst an attempt by the alcohol industry to mislead the public about the danger of their product.” However, some experts pushed back against the WHF announcement by accusing the agency of cherry-picking its research. For instance, one study published by the medical journal The Lancet in 2018 was cited multiple times in the policy brief, “but [it] seriously misrepresents, and selectively reports, their findings,” David Spiegelhalter, PhD, the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., told CNN. Other health agencies have also recently released studies highlighting the potential benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. One cited by the CDC found that it provided a protective benefit for those living with heart disease by reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death, Prevention reports. The 2021 Dietary Guidance Scientific Statement released by the American Heart Association (AHA)—which is also a member of the WHF—also states that “moderation is key,” advising that “if you don’t drink already, don’t start. If you do drink, talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation.” However, the organization plans to “carefully review” the WHF’s latest brief, Mariell Jessup, MD, chief science and medical officer for the AHA, told CNN. RELATED: Taking This Supplement Daily Slashes Your Risk of Heart Attack, Study Says.
