ACC

ACC 2024: Alcohol raises risk of heart disease, particularly in women

April 1, 2024

Young to middle-aged women who reported drinking eight or more alcoholic beverages per week—more than one per day, on average—were significantly more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared with those who drank less. The study, which will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session from April 6 - 8, is among the largest and most diverse to date examining the links between alcohol and heart disease.

• Participants included nearly 243,000 men and 189,000 women (average age, 44 years) who received care from Kaiser Permanente Northern California. None of the individuals had heart disease at the start of the study.
• Researchers analyzed the relationship between the level of alcohol intake participants reported in routine assessments from 2014-2015 and coronary heart disease diagnoses during the four-year period that followed.
• 3,108 study participants were diagnosed with coronary heart disease during the four-year follow-up period, and the incidence of coronary heart disease increased with higher levels of alcohol consumption.
• Among women without a history of binge drinking, those who reported high alcohol intake had a 45% higher risk of heart disease compared to women reporting moderate intake. Women reporting moderate intake had a 29% higher risk of heart disease compared with those reporting low intake.
• The difference was greatest among individuals in the binge drinking category; women in this category were 68% more likely to develop heart disease compared with women reporting moderate intake.
• In the overall population, men with high intake were 22% more likely to develop heart disease compared with men who had moderate intake.

Source:

American College of Cardiology. (2024, March 28). Alcohol raises heart disease risk, particularly among women. [Press release]. https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2024/03/28/11/58/alcohol-raises-heart-disease-risk-particularly-among-women