Shocking heart scans reveal how just TWO pints a day can cause deadly damage
14 glasses a week might not sound a lot, but drinking that much can lead to heart scarring
MANY of us enjoy a relaxing pint or glass of wine - but just how damaging is moderate drinking on our heart health?
Well, it turns out that it's VERY damaging, according to shocking heart scans.
Excessive boozing is known to be a risk factor of atrial fibrillation (an irregular, very fast heartbeat), but a new study has found that even moderate alcohol consumption can also result in damage.
Australian scientists have found that drinking as little as 14 glasses a week can result in scarring and disruption in electrical signalling, compared to teetotallers and light drinkers.
That's led experts to conclude that moderate drinking is an important risk factor for AF - which is a major cause of stroke.
They analysed seven studies involving nearly 860,000 patients. Nearly 12.500 of those demonstrated an 8 per cent increase in AF with each additional daily drink.
"BHF-funded research published in 2018 looking at the effect of alcohol consumption on heart and circulatory diseases concluded that the risks outweigh the benefits, and drinking more than the recommended limits will have a negative effect on your health," the charity says.
"It’s therefore not a good idea to drink wine to protect your heart. If you do drink alcohol, don’t exceed 14 units a week.
"A unit is 10ml of pure alcohol, so 14 units is about six medium (175ml) glasses of wine (13 per cent ABV) or six pints of lager or cider (four per cent ABV) – this is a maximum, not a target.
"If you do drink 14 units a week, spread them out and have some alcohol-free days, as binge drinking can increase your heart disease and stroke risk."
So, everything in moderation.
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