More evidence moderate drinking is good for your heart

I toast to that! A votre sante!

"New study ... offers an explanation for why light to moderate alcohol consumption may be associated with lower risk of heart disease.

For the first time, researchers found that alcohol, in light to moderate quantities, was associated with long-term reductions in stress signaling in the brain. This impact appeared to significantly account for the reductions in heart disease risk seen in light to moderate drinkers participating in the study. ...
Previous epidemiological studies have suggested that light to moderate alcohol consumption ... is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. But it was unknown whether alcohol was inducing cardiovascular benefits, or whether light/moderate drinkers’ health behaviors, socioeconomic status, or other factors protected their hearts. ...

The first part of the study evaluated the relationship between light/moderate alcohol consumption and heart attacks and strokes after adjusting for a range of genetic, clinical, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors. The researchers found that light/moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease events, even after accounting for those other factors.

Next, ...The brain imaging showed reduced stress signaling in the amygdala, the brain region associated with stress responses, in individuals who were light to moderate drinkers compared to those who abstained from alcohol or who drank little. And when the investigators looked at these individuals’ histories of cardiovascular events, they found fewer heart attacks and strokes in light to moderate drinkers. ...

It’s long been known that alcohol reduces the amygdala’s reactivity to threatening stimuli while individuals are drinking. The current study is the first to indicate that light to moderate alcohol consumption has longer-term neurobiological effects in dampening activity in the amygdala, which may have a significant downstream impact on the cardiovascular system. ..."

From the abstract (seems to be a poorly written abstract in my opinion):

"Background

Chronic stress associates with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) via increased stress-related neural network activity (SNA). Light/moderate alcohol consumption (ACl/m) has been linked to lower MACE risk, but the mechanisms are unclear.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the association between ACl/m and MACE is mediated by decreased SNA.

Methods

Individuals enrolled in the Mass General Brigham Biobank who completed a health behavior survey were studied. A subset underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, enabling assessment of SNA. Alcohol consumption was classified as none/minimal, light/moderate, or high (<1, 1-14, or >14 drinks/week, respectively).

Results

Of 53,064 participants (median age 60 years, 60% women), 23,920 had no/minimal alcohol consumption and 27,053 ACl/m. Over a median follow-up of 3.4 years, 1,914 experienced MACE. ACl/m (vs none/minimal) associated with lower MACE risk (HR: 0.786; 95% CI: 0.717-0.862; P < 0.0001) after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. In 713 participants with brain imaging, ACl/m (vs none/minimal) associated with decreased SNA (standardized beta −0.192; 95% CI: −0.338 to −0.046; P = 0.01). Lower SNA partially mediated the beneficial effect of ACl/m on MACE (log OR: −0.040; 95% CI: −0.097 to −0.003; P < 0.05). Further, ACl/m associated with larger decreases in MACE risk among individuals with (vs without) prior anxiety (HR: 0.60 [95% CI: 0.50-0.72] vs 0.78 [95% CI: 0.73-0.80]; P interaction = 0.003).

Conclusions

ACl/m associates with reduced MACE risk, in part, by lowering activity of a stress-related brain network known for its association with cardiovascular disease. Given alcohol’s potential health detriments, new interventions with similar effects on SNA are needed."

Is drinking in moderation good for your heart? – Harvard Gazette Researchers thought if they could find key mechanism, science might someday unlock benefits minus harm that comes with alcohol. They found it.

Reduced Stress-Related Neural Network Activity Mediates the Effect of Alcohol on Cardiovascular Risk (no public access)