Looks like alcohol is actually good for the heart, even though it can ruin your body
Drinking might be good for health as it reduces brain stress (which reduces the heart's workload) (photo-DailyO)
Drinking to your “heart’s content” can be beneficial for the four-chambered organ beating in your chest, a new study suggests. However, alcoholics should not get their hopes high as their poison of choice can still very well lead to addiction, cause fatty liver and increase your chances of stomach/pancreatic cancer.
But for some funny reason, scientists are suggesting that alcohol’s impact on the human heart might not be that destructive.
How does it help the heart though?
American researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital published a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, suggesting that
- alcohol’s effect on reducing stress signals in our brain can help in lessening the stress on our beating heart.
- This naturally lessens the chances of heart failure-inducing hypertension.
Most of the human brain’s emotions are generated in the part known as the amygdala, which generates panic signals during times of stress, triggering an “alarm clock” effect. The study adds that alcohol can help in lessening this alarm effect.
How did the scientists come to this conclusion?
The conductors of the study investigated data procured from more than 50,000 human subjects in the research database known as Mass General Brigham Biobank.
With the subjects asked to follow light-to-moderate drinking patterns, they could conclude that such drinking can indeed help in reducing people’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
The fact that the data set was diverse with the subjects hailing from different socio-economic statuses and drinking preferences, makes the study all the more relevant.
A vast majority of the brain scans of these individuals also helped in determining that the reduction in brain stress levels upon alcohol consumption eases the load on the heart (even days after someone has drunk alcohol).
What about people with anxiety?
“I know that a lot of people will hear that and say, ‘Well, I’m anxious. That’s why I drink—I guess there’s a benefit,’” One of the study’s co-authors, Dr Ahmed Tawakol, told TIME magazine.
In fact, interestingly, the test subjects who had reported a history of anxiety, witnessed a 40% reduction in chances of developing heart diseases (as opposed to the 22% reduction that was reported among the majority).
So, should you guzzle alcohol freely now?
Obviously, this study and its scientists don’t promote relentless alcohol consumption despite its positive effects on the heart. Tawakol adds in the study that alcohol can prove to be dangerous because there is technically no safe quantity of alcohol.
Tawakol does enter “boomer mode” and advises exercising as the best way to keep the heart in check. But he does add that he and his peers are looking for more effective interventions to reduce heart stress.