Alcohol and Heart Disease

 Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. As of 2007, it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales,accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States. There are many kinds of heart disease, and they can affect the heart include alcohol. But the ultimate problem with all varieties of heart disease is that, in one way or another, they can disrupt the vital pumping action of the heart.  The heart is the center of the cardiovascular system.

It has been known for nearly eighty years that heavy drinking decreases longevity. Pearl noted that moderate drinkers lived longer than either abstainers or heavy drinkers (Pearl, 1926). Over the life span, total alcoholconsumption is inversely associated with heart damage. The deterioration of heart muscle, a condition known as alcoholic cardiomyopathy, is one of the most serious consequences of chronic heavy drinking. As cardiac cells deteriorate, the unique ability of these cells to contract is impaired. This is particularly significant in the heart’s left ventricle which pumps freshly oxygenated blood throughout the body. Compensatory mechanisms result in an enlarged heart, but any benefit from such cardiac hypertrophy is temporary.

Eventually the heart is unable to meet the body’s demand for oxygen. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in Western societies and is a major source of heart failure and death (NIAAA, 1997, 2000). As with other diseases, women may also be more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol on the heart, even though women drink less, or report drinking less, than men (Fernandez-Sola et al., 1997; Urbano-Marquez et al.,1995).

Posted in: alcohol, Cardiovascular Diseases