Red alert: drinking alcohol can increase the risk of an abnormal heart rhythm within the next few hours

How just a single glass of wine or can of beer affects your heart

Even moderate drinking can increase the risk of a common heart-rhythm abnormality

A new study has found that consuming alcohol, even as little as one can of beer or one glass of wine, can quickly increase the risk of a common type of cardiac arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation in people who have a history of the condition.

Doctors have long suspected a link between alcohol and atrial fibrillation, but until now they did not have definitive evidence that alcohol could cause arrhythmias. The new study is among the most rigorous to date: the researchers recruited 100 people with a history of atrial fibrillation and tracked them intensely for four weeks, monitoring their alcohol intake and their cardiac rhythms in real time.

The scientists found that drinking alcohol heightened the odds that a person would have an episode of atrial fibrillation, or an abnormal heart rhythm, within the next few hours. And the more they drank, the greater their likelihood of having an arrhythmia. The conclusions of the new study, along with data from previous studies, suggest that people with a history of atrial fibrillation could reduce their chances of developing arrhythmias by cutting back on alcohol or avoiding it altogether. Read article here. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/how-just-a-single-glass-of-wine-or-can-of-beer-affects-your-heart-1.4664192?mode=amp