The myth about red wine, and drinking in moderation isn’t true – no amount of alcohol is good for your heart, says Heart Foundation

No amount of alcohol is good for your heart, health experts say.

The evidence is clear, according to The Heart Foundation. Every drink counts, with any type or amount of alcohol increasing the risk of heart disease and conditions.

“No matter where you are on the scale of alcohol consumption, less is better,” its medical director Dr Gerry Devlin says.

The charity has updated its position statement to highlight the risks of alcohol, while asking Kiwis to evaluate their drinking habits and take steps to drink less.

READ MORE:
* What are the effects of alcohol on your body after the age of 40?
* The flawed logic of saving all your boozing for the weekend
* New lease of life for double heart attack survivor

This move comes after a Cancer Society study last year found too few Kiwis knew that alcohol could cause cancer.

“The more booze, the more cancer. That needs to be understood in the same way people understand that too much sunlight (UV) can cause cancer,” Cancer Society co-medical director Dr George Laking​, an oncologist in Auckland and Northland, said last year.

Alcohol was also found to be a leading risk factor for death and disease worldwide and was associated with nearly one in 10 deaths in people aged 15 to 49 years old, according to a 2018 study published in medical journal The Lancet.

It concluded there was no safe level of drinking, with any known health benefits outweighed by the adverse impact alcohol had on the body.

Devlin said for many years there were commonly held beliefs that drinking alcohol in moderation offered protection against heart disease or that red wine was good for the heart.

They now knew this was not the case.

He said evidence clearly showed any type or amount of alcohol increased the risk of a range of heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation and haemorrhagic stroke, and could increase the risk of heart failure.

It also increased your risk of high blood pressure, which was a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Devlin said around 20% of adults in New Zealand were living with high blood pressure, so there was potential for significant health gains with alcohol reduction.

“Our latest guidance is important because it provides greater certainty about the effect of alcohol on heart disease outcomes and indicates there is no safe level or protective effect from alcohol.

“We’re saying if you don’t drink alcohol – don’t start. If you do drink alcohol – it’s better to drink less.”

Devlin said people could reduce their drinking over time, because any steps taken to reduce drinking would benefit their heart health.

He said it was people who drink the most that had the most to gain from drinking less.

“For example, if you have elevated blood pressure, reducing alcohol consumption is likely to impact favourably on blood pressure readings.

“If you suffer from atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder, reducing alcohol is likely to decrease symptomatic episodes.

“The evidence is clear that every drink counts. It’s also clear that it’s never too late to make changes. Any reduction in alcohol use can be beneficial.”

He said dialling back the drinks could also help to improve sleep quality, manage weight and might even help you to save money.

Tips to help you drink less:

• Have alcohol-free weeks and weekends wherever you can
• Choose alcohol-free activities or make your usual activities alcohol-free
• Drink slowly
• For every drink of alcohol, have a drink of water or soda water
• ‘Low’ and ‘zero’ alcohol products may help some people to drink less alcohol if they are consumed in place of full-strength drinks.

People wanting free support could contact the Alcohol Drug helpline 24/7 on 0800 787 797. There was a list of other services available online.