Alcohol and the heart: to abstain or not to abstain?

Authors

Rajesh Movva, MD, MRCP, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia1;Follow
Vincent M. Figueredo, M.D., Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-15-2013

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It is the authors' final version prior to publication in International Journal of Cardiology.

Volume 164, Issue 3, April 2013, Pages 267-76.

The published version is available at DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.01.030. Copyright © Elsevier Inc.

Abstract

Alcohol has been consumed by most societies over the last 7000 years. Abraham Lincoln said "It has long been recognized that the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing." Light to moderate alcohol consumption reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, CHD mortality, and all-cause mortality, especially in the western populations. However, heavy alcohol consumption is detrimental causing cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmias, hepatic cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and hemorrhagic stroke. In this article, we review the effects of alcohol on CHD, individual cardiovascular risk factors, cardiomyopathy, and cardiac arrhythmias, including the most recent evidence of the effects of alcohol on CHD.

Recommended Citation

Movva, MD, MRCP, Rajesh and Figueredo, M.D., Vincent M., "Alcohol and the heart: to abstain or not to abstain?" (2013). Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers. Paper 28.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/cardiologyfp/28

PubMed ID

22336255