Red wine yay or nay? Study discovers how good or bad for heart

New Delhi: Come the weekend, we all like to grab a glass of wine and spend some quality time with friends and family. And when one looks at the antioxidant value of red wine, it becomes just another excuse to enjoy an extra glass every now and then. Even the Mediterranean diet, which is strongly linked to a longer and healthier life, advocates one or two glasses of wine in a day for a healthier heart. However, this coin of wellbeing also had two sides – a new study recently revealed the side effects of this beverage on cardiovascular health.

Why alcohol intake by the youth is under scrutiny?

When it comes to alcohol consumption, the real threat is risk of dependency. On one hand, one or two glasses in a day is the upper limit for safe wine consumption – and on the other, health professionals warn of dependency threats to prevent long-term side effects like hypertension and high cholesterol.

Several studies, including one that appeared in the Circulation journal, involved 14 participants in an alcohol trial. With all diet and lifestyle factors constant, the study concluded that daily moderate intake of alcohol can raise good cholesterol (high density lipoprotein) levels by 18 per cent. However, the trick is to strike a balance.

If you are failing to strike the ideal wine consumption balance, research suggests that you could be at a heightened risk of the following side effects.

1. Irregular heartbeats: Drinking more wine that the everyday safe amount can adversely affect heartbeats thereby raising arrhythmia risk. As per a Framingham Heart Study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers concluded that alcohol consumption over 36 grams a day can raise risk of atrial fibrillation by 34 per cent – one serving of wine contains five ounces which equals 14 grams of ethanol.
2. Weaker heart: Alcohol abuse is when one drinks mindlessly and uncontrollably – a habit that may trigger alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a state characterised by thinning and weakening of heart muscles due to which it fails to pump blood properly. If left untreated, alcoholic cardiomyopathy may even raise risk of heart failure. A review in the World Journal of Cardiology also blamed the same on excessive alcohol consumption.
3. Hypertension risk: Long-term drinking is never counted as a health-friendly habit by cardiologists. This is because alcohol raises blood pressure, which if left unattended, can become a hypertensive crisis or may up risk of stroke or peripheral vascular disease. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction revealed that drinking alcohol can trigger hypertension in a dose-dependent way. This means that 50 grams of ethanol a day can boost high BP risk by 70 per cent and a 100-gram serving can do the same by 250 per cent.

Conclusion

The human heart shares a love and hate relationship with red wine – in limited quantities, the polyphenols in this fermented beverage can keep the organ healthy. However, the minute its dosage increases, the body starts to react and its side effects often appear in the long run.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.