Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Heart Failure in the Physicians’ Health Study I

Abstract

Background-Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalization among the elderly, and 1 in 5 adults aged 40 years will develop HF in their lifetime. Data on the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of HF have been sparse and inconsistent. This study sought to evaluate the association between moderate alcohol consumption and incident HF. Methods and Results-A total of 21 601 participants of the Physicians' Health Study I who were free of HF and provided data on alcohol intake at baseline were prospectively followed up from 1982 to 2005. Incident HF cases were ascertained through annual follow-up questionnaires and validated with the use of Framingham criteria. During an average follow-up of 18.4 years, 904 incident cases of HF occurred. The crude incidence rates of HF were 25.0, 20.0, 24.3, and 20.6 cases per 10 000 person-years for alcohol categories of Ͻ1, 1 to 4, 5 to 7, and Ͼ7 drinks per week, respectively. Corresponding hazard ratios (95% CI) were 1.0 (reference), 0.90 (0.76 to 1.07), 0.84 (0.71 to 0.99), and 0.62 (0.41 to 0.96), respectively, with P for trendϭ0.012 adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, and history of valvular heart disease. There was no evidence for a strong association between moderate alcohol consumption and HF without antecedent coronary artery disease. Conclusions-Although heavy drinking should be discouraged, our data indicate that moderate drinking may lower the risk of HF. The lack of an association between moderate alcohol intake and HF without antecedent coronary artery disease suggests that possible benefits of moderate drinking on HF may be mediated through beneficial effects of alcohol on coronary artery disease.

Alcohol Consumption and Heart Failure in Hypertensive US Male Physicians

“…In addition, among post-myocardial infarction patients with left ventricular dysfunction, moderate drinking was not associated with incident HF 1,2 . In contrast, other investigators have reported an inverse relation between lightto-moderate drinking and HF risk in the general population [3][4][5][6] . No previous study has examined the association between moderate drinking and incident HF among individuals with hypertension.…”

Alcohol and the heart: To abstain or not to abstain?

“…Further, it did not appear to be mediated by a reduction in MI risk, after an extended follow-up of 18 years. [137][138][139] Light to moderate drinking was associated with a lower risk of HF in hypertensive male physicians. [140] In the Framingham Heart Study, during 26,035 person-years of follow-up in men, and 35,563 person-years of follow-up in women, alcohol consumption was not associated with increased risk for heart failure, even among heavy drinkers (> 15 drinks/wk in men and > 8 drinks/wk in women).…”

Alcohol, Wine, and Cardiovascular Health

“…An updated analysis of the Physicians' Health Study also demonstrated that moderate drinking lowered the risk of developing heart failure. 13 …”