A cardiologist has warned that consuming just one glass of wine daily can significantly increase the risk of heart disease, particularly among women. A major study of more than 430,000 people found that women who drink as little as a glass of wine each day, or two at weekends, face a "significantly higher" risk of developing coronary heart disease.
Study Findings
American researchers discovered that women who consume more than eight alcoholic drinks per week are nearly 50% more likely to develop the potentially fatal condition. Binge drinkers of both sexes were also found to be at considerably greater risk. The 2024 study from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) is one of the largest ever conducted into the link between alcohol and coronary heart disease. It cautioned that heavy-drinking young and middle-aged women are particularly vulnerable, regardless of their age.
Impact on Younger Generations
Heart attacks and other forms of heart disease are currently increasing among younger generations in both the US and the UK. Coronary heart disease develops when the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed, restricting blood flow. This condition can trigger chest pain and acute episodes such as heart attacks. Alcohol consumption and episodic drinking, or binge drinking, have also increased among women in recent decades.
Expert Commentary
Dr Jamal Rana, a cardiologist and lead author of the study, said: "When it comes to binge drinking, both men and women with excess alcohol consumption had a higher risk of heart disease. For women, we find consistently higher risk even without binge drinking. I wasn't expecting these results among women in this lower age group because we usually see increased risk for heart disease among older women. It was definitely surprising."
Study Methodology
The researchers drew on data from more than 430,000 people who received treatment through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health organisation. Participants included nearly 243,000 men and 189,000 women with an average age of 44, none of whom had heart disease at the outset of the study. Details on alcohol consumption were gathered during primary care visits using the health organisation's standard 'Alcohol as a Vital Sign' screening programme. The researchers examined the link between patients' drinking levels, recorded during routine check-ups in 2014 and 2015, and coronary heart disease diagnoses over the subsequent four years.
Risk Categories
Using self-reported assessments, researchers placed participants' overall alcohol consumption into three categories: low (one to two drinks per week for both men and women), moderate (three to 14 drinks per week for men and three to seven drinks per week for women), or high (15 or more drinks per week for men and eight or more drinks per week for women). They separately classified each participant based on whether they engaged in binge drinking or not. Those who reported no alcohol consumption were excluded from the study, and the researchers controlled for age, physical activity, smoking and other established cardiovascular risk factors.
Key Results
A total of 3,108 patients were diagnosed with coronary heart disease during the four-year follow-up period. Among women, those with high alcohol intake had a 45% elevated risk of heart disease compared with those reporting low intake, and a 29% increased risk compared with those reporting moderate intake. The most significant difference was found among binge drinkers: women in this group were 68% more likely to develop heart disease compared to those with moderate intake. Men with high overall intake were 33% more likely to develop heart disease compared with men who reported moderate intake. The findings revealed no meaningful difference in risk between people who reported moderate versus low alcohol intake.
Broader Implications
Dr Rana said: "Women feel they're protected against heart disease until they're older, but this study shows that even when you're young or middle-aged, if you are a heavy alcohol user or binge drink, you are at risk for coronary heart disease." Alcohol has been shown to elevate blood pressure and trigger metabolic changes linked to inflammation and obesity, with women also metabolising alcohol differently to men.
Call for Awareness
Dr Rana and his team cautioned that their research underscores the health dangers of alcohol consumption and the significance of factoring in alcohol use when assessing and preventing heart disease. "When it comes to heart disease, the number one thing that comes to mind is smoking, and we do not think about alcohol as one of the vital signs. I think a lot more awareness is needed, and alcohol should be part of routine health assessments moving forward," Dr Rana added.
Study Limitations
One drawback of the study, which Dr Rana presented at the ACC's Annual Scientific Session in Atlanta, Georgia, in April 2024, is that patients are widely thought to under-report their alcohol intake. Consequently, the researchers suggest their study's estimates of heart disease risk associated with alcohol consumption are likely to be 'conservative'.
