Drinking Alcohol Could Lead To Heart Problems, New Study Says

Alcohol consumption could lead to heart issues, according to a new study that compared hospital admissions in "wet" and "dry" counties in Texas.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal and picked up by the Wall Street Journal. The study concluded that chronic heavy drinking is associated with alcoholic liver disease, cognitive decline and heart-related problems including high blood pressure and alcohol cardiomyopathy, which is a precursor to heart failure.

When the data for the study was collected, 47 counties in Texas were "wet" and 29 were "dry." The analysis included over 1 million people with at least one hospital admission from "wet" counties and 60,000 from "dry" counties.

The study showed a significantly higher level of alcohol misuse and cases of liver disease in the "wet" counties. The researchers also concluded from this that while residents in "dry" counties could easily obtain alcohol across county lines, consumption within the counties themselves is much lower.

Prevalence of atrial fibrillation was around 5 percent higher in "wet" counties, while prevalence of heart attacks was 17 percent lower. New hospitalizations for a-fib during the study were 7 percent higher in "wet" counties, while those for heart attack were 9 percent lower.

Counties that switched from "dry" to "wet" during the study period also saw new cases of atrial fibrillation 7 percent higher.

"More broadly, the findings suggest that communities that ease restrictions on alcohol sales can expect more alcohol-related illness, more cases of atrial fibrillation and fewer heart attacks," the Wall Street Journal noted.

However, the study did note that while it is "not so simple that alcohol is good for you or alcohol is bad for you," as it "depends on the individual."