Wednesday, February 16, 2011

If you drink alcohol (even just a little)...

you may want to check out this article from the Metro in the UK.

By now most of us know the effects of heavy alcohol consumption on the heart, but this is the first time warnings have been attached to moderate drinking.

It's a bit tricky though when you think about consuming a glass of red wine, like I did on Valentine's Day. It's a pretty well known fact that red wine has some amazing components such as flavonoids and other antioxidants in reducing heart disease risk. And sometimes a glass of red wine may help us to relax and relieve stress. So in that way I'm at less of a risk for experiencing heart palpitations if stress is my usual culprit. My thought. If an occasional glass here or there doesn't bother you, then I think it's okay. But if even a sip gets your heart a dancin' I'd think you'd want to avoid drinking altogether. Of course, check with your doctor.

1 comments:

xtexan said...

You're totally right about detecting and then carefully avoiding one's triggers.

The Metro-UK article is a bit suspect, however - it doesn't cite to the Journal where the Boston University article was published (and I couldn't find it on Google Scholar). To the contrary, the B.U. doctor cited in the Metro-UK article is on the medical board for a group called "Alcohol in Moderation" and authored an article with the opposite conclusion here: http://www.drinkingandyou.com/site/uk/health/Ellison.htm.

Those darn studies, for every one with a given conclusion, seems there is one with the opposite conclusion. :(

Nevertheless, your point is a good one - a person has to look at the big picture, and make some common sense judgments.