Alcohol intake liked to heart arrhythmia

Research published in the European Heart Journal has shown that drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time could disrupt the rhythm of the heart.

Scientists from University Hospital of Munich conducted a field experiment in Germany with 3,000 adults at Munich's famous annual Oktoberfest. They found the odds of heart arrhythmia increased as beer consumption went up.

The study involved volunteers, who were all deemed sober enough to take part in the tests, who had heart traces taken using a mobile phone app while they partied. The heart traces measured a arrhythmias in 30 per cent of the 30-second recordings - more than would be expected in a general population.

The findings of the tests indicated that the likelihood of a cardiac arrhythmia increased as the number of grams of alcohol per kilogram of blood (measured with a breathalyser) went up.

While most of the resulting arrhythmias were ‘apparently harmless’ sinus tachycardia, where the heart just beats faster than normal, around five per cent of the arrhythmias recorded were potentially more worrying. In particular, one type of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation, has been linked to an increased risk of stroke and heart failure.

These scientists maintained that the odds are very low, which meant there was no significant link between alcohol and dangerous heart arrhythmias in the study. However, there was a significant link between alcohol consumption and more benign arrhythmias.

Researcher Dr Moritz Sinner from the University Hospital of Munich said: "What we have found is that alcohol does interfere with heart rhythm, which hasn't been shown like this before.

"What we still don't know is what happens after people stop drinking or continue to drink. What happens the next day or the day after?"

Dr Mike Knapton from the British Heart Foundation added: "Using the Munich Oktoberfest as a real world laboratory is a unique approach and has given us an insight into how heavy drinking over a short space of time can increase people's chances of having an abnormal heart rhythm. However, longer-term follow-up is needed to confirm if this type of drinking has a lasting effect in giving people potentially life-threatening arrhythmias.

"Extensive research has shown that alcohol consumption is associated with a range of diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Our advice is to drink in moderation, or no more than 14 units of alcohol per week."