How Transitioning From Heavy to Moderate Drinking Can Boost Your Heart Health

New research indicates that lesser consumption of alcohol results in improved cardiovascular health.

Past evidence suggests that light to moderate drinkers have better cardiovascular health than those who abstain. However, this benefit evaporates as alcohol consumption shifts into heavy drinking. In recent years, some health advocates have argued that no level of alcohol consumption is safe. A recent study, however, argues that heavy drinkers can gain significant benefits, primarily regarding heart health, if they lower their consumption to moderate levels.

The study’s findings could offer reassurance to heavy drinkers wondering if it’s worthwhile to reduce intake, or if the harm is already irreversible. It may also address doubts about needing to completely stop alcohol. The study could incentivize the shift towards moderate alcohol consumption as part of a healthier lifestyle, giving healthcare professionals firm evidence to advise patients on reducing their intake towards moderate levels.

Published in March, in JAMA Network Open, the study utilizes data from nearly 21,000 participants, the majority being men, sourced from the Korean National Health Insurance Service–Health Screening database and self-compiled questionnaires. The subjects were aged between 40 and 79 years.

The researchers, based at Chungbuk National University Hospital in Cheongju, South Korea, and Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, defined heavy drinking as more than 4 drinks a day or more than 14 drinks a week for men, with one standard drink containing 14 grams of pure alcohol. That’s the equivalent of a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12 percent alcohol by volume. For women, they defined heavy drinking as more than three drinks a day or more than 7 drinks per week.

The team compared people’s drinking habits and cardiovascular health outcomes over two consecutive three-year time periods. Over a follow-up period of 10 years, they found that people who reduced their drinking in the second time period experienced a 29 percent decrease in their overall risk of coronary artery disease. When considering all forms of major cardiovascular disease, the reduction in risk was 23 percent. The most notable reductions were for angina (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart) and ischemic stroke. In the group that reduced drinking, risk of ischemic stroke decreased by 34 percent.

Notably, the difference in risk between those who continued to be heavy drinkers and those who cut back to moderate consumption began to increase over time roughly three years after the individuals reduced their drinking. In other words, the longer people continued to drink moderately rather than heavily, the lower their risk of developing heart problems.

Most studies on drinking estimate average alcohol consumption at a single point in a person’s life. But, the researchers argue, “the association of alcohol consumption on future cardiovascular disease should be investigated in the context of habitual change rather than fixed behavior.” By examining people’s drinking habits over time, the study spotlights how behavioral changes, even relatively late in life, can significantly improve health.

The study also controlled for a number of variables, including age, gender, physical activity habits, income and more. The researchers attempted to control for the “sick-quitter effect,” the hypothesis that some alcohol abstainers are actually former heavy drinkers, by excluding people who abstained from alcohol during the second three-year time period. By comparing only people who continued drinking heavily with people who reduced their intake to moderate levels, the study could calculate a more accurate comparison of relative risk between the two groups.

The authors acknowledge several limitations. The study didn’t differentiate between types of alcohol consumed, and it was limited to South Koreans. The researchers relied on self-reported questionnaires, which tend to result in underreporting of alcohol consumption. Like almost all alcohol studies, this one is observational, which means it can’t establish causality. Even though researchers controlled for many variables, it’s possible that something other than how much people drank influenced the changes in heart health.

While the researchers call for further study, they say the investigation provides crucial evidence of the benefits of moderate drinking in an especially high-risk population: “Reducing alcohol consumption among people who drink heavily is potentially associated with a broad spectrum of benefits in future cardiovascular events.”

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!