
A glass of red wine a day is good for the heart? That’s not the case. According to research presented at Heart Failure 2022, “a more cautious approach to alcohol consumption is needed… To minimise the risk of alcohol causing harm to the heart, if you don’t drink, don’t start. If you do drink, limit your weekly consumption to less than one bottle of wine or less than three-and-a-half 500 ml cans of 4.5% beer.” The study looked at three groups of individuals in a “pre-heart failure” category: those with no alcohol intake, low intake, and moderate or high intake. Compared to the no alcohol use individuals, the moderate or high intake “was associated with a 4.5-fold increased risk of worsening heart health.” Dr. Bethany Wong of St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, explains that this study indicates that “countries should advocate lower limits of safe alcohol intake in pre-heart failure patients.”