Binge drinking ‘raises the risk of killer heart problems’ – but new drug could eradicate that risk
BINGE drinking is dangerous to health – something doctors have been warning for a long time.
But what if there we a pill to counteract those harms?
Potentially, one day, there will be, according to new research.
A team at The Ohio State University College of Medicine looked into a possible way to prevent ‘holiday heart syndrome’ – when people develop dangerous heart arrhythmias after boozing during celebrations like Christmas.
Lead author of the study Dr Saugat Khanal said: “Around the holidays, opportunities for celebration – often accompanied by heavy drinking – occur during a brief period of time.
“Unfortunately, this sometimes sends revelers, even those with no previous heart condition, to the hospital with a racing or abnormally beating heart.
“Repeated binge drinking can lead to serious arrhythmias.
“This includes atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is the most common type of arrhythmia.
“AFib can raise the risk of stroke and heart failure. About one-third of new AFib diagnoses are related to alcohol use.
“Recurrence of AFib is common in habitual binge drinkers.”
AFibis an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm and can be caused by high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, lung diseases and more.
Binge drinking – defined as five drinks within two hours for men and four drinks for women – is also a risk for liver damage, digestive issues like pancreatitis and mental health disorders.
“The link between repeated binge drinking and arrhythmia at times of celebration is so well-known that medical professionals call it holiday heart syndrome which is caused by repeated binge drinking over the holidays,” says Dr Khanal.
“Our study in mice explored the mechanism of alcohol-induced arrhythmia and a possible way to prevent it in the future.”
Previously, the researchers found that binge-drinking-related arrhythmias are caused by a surge in a stress-induced protein called JNK2.
Binge drinking among all age groups continues to rise. Our findings suggest that developing new drugs may be an effective anti-AFib strategy
Dr Saugat Khanal
This causes the heart cells to mishandle calcium and misfire, resulting in the heart beating too fast or irregularly.
Mice given alcohol to mimic binge drinking were found to have double the amount of JNK2 activity.
But now, the scientists believe a new molecule called Alda-1 could help counter the effects of the protein JNK2.
In the study, mice were divided into three groups; a holiday heart syndrome group, mimicking binge drinking in humans; a group which received the alcohol plus Alda-1; and controls, who received nothing.
More than 70 per cent of mice in the binge drinking group developed atrial fibrillation.
But in the group receiving Alda-1, none of the mice went on to develop AFib.
Dr Khanal said: “Abstinence from alcohol can prevent most alcohol-associated AFib risks.
“Unfortunately, despite nationwide education efforts, binge drinking among all age groups continues to rise.
“Our findings suggest that developing new drugs, including Alda-1 and other JNK2-specific inhibitors, may be an effective anti-AFib strategy for people with holiday heart syndrome.”
The study was presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.
“Studies using larger animals will be a future direction to translate our exciting findings into clinical applications,” Dr Khanal said.
The harms of binge drinking
The NHS defines binge drinking as ‘drinking heavily over a short space of time’.
More than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for males, or more than 6 units in a single session for females is the technical definition, according to Drinkaware.
That’s equivalent to about four pints of normal strength beer for a man or three pints for a woman.
When you binge drink, other than getting drunk, your heart rate and blood pressure will rise. It can cause irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias.
Alcohol increases stomach acid production – queue the nausea and potentially vomiting.
You’re also likely to experience impaired judgement, coordination, memory blackouts and poor decision making.
This could lead to accidents, falls, drownings and other mistakes.
Long term, binge drinking can cause acute liver damage and increase the risk of chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Cardiovascular problems include cardiomyopathy – which is when the heart loses the ability to pump blood efficiently – and an increased risk of stroke.
Over time, binge drinking can contribute to permanent brain damage. This may present as a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression.
Binge drinking can also lead to alcohol dependence, or “addiction”.