Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) through heightened stress-related neural network activity (SNA) are associated with chronic stress. Previous research has shown that light or moderate alcohol consumption (ACl/m) could be correlated with lower MACE risk, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear.
A recent study evaluates whether the association between MACE and ACl/m is mediated by reduced SNA.
Study
The current study utilized a well-characterized Biobank cohort to analyze the hypothesis that light/moderate alcohol reduces MACE by attenuating adverse stress-related neural mechanisms. To this end, the impact of light/moderate alcohol consumption was evaluated after controlling for clinical, lifestyle, socioeconomic, and genetic factors. Additionally, the effect of light/moderate alcohol consumption on resting SNA was assessed.
The researchers also determined whether this effect mediated the benefits of light/moderate alcohol consumption on MACE. The potentially stronger influence of light/moderate alcohol use on MACE in individuals expected to have chronically heightened SNA was also investigated.
Results
A U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and MACE was observed. After accounting for potential confounding factors, including health behaviors and demographic and socioeconomic factors, light/moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower MACE risk.
Advanced brain imaging results indicate that light/moderate alcohol consumption, as compared to abstinence, was associated with lower resting SNA. This neural effect appears to mediate the beneficial impacts of light/moderate alcohol consumption on MACE.
Light/moderate alcohol consumption was also associated with stronger effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction among individuals with a history of anxiety. These findings imply that alcohol could improve MACE risk, and interventions targeting SNAs may improve CVD outcomes. However, alternative approaches to reduce SNA are needed, as light/moderate alcohol consumption could also lead to non-cardiac problems, such as a heightened risk of cancer.
Limitations
A key limitation of the present study is its observational design. Despite controlling for numerous potential confounders, residual confounding factors may not have been accounted for. Furthermore, International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes were used to identify MACE, which could have led to the misclassification of events.
Dietary guidelines recommend no more than two drinks every day for men and one drink every day for women. Due to the limitations of the survey instrument, the distinction between individuals consuming one drink/day and those consuming two drinks/day could not be made.
The self-reported nature of the current study could have also caused individuals to underreport their alcohol consumption. The study participants’ drinking patterns may have also changed during the follow-up period.
Conclusion
The study findings suggest that the beneficial effects of light/moderate alcohol consumption on MACE risk may be due to its ability to attenuate SNA. Notably, the beneficial impact of light/moderate alcohol intake was nearly twice as great among individuals with anxiety as compared to those without anxiety.
There remains a need to develop novel interventions that positively affect the neurobiology of stress without the harmful effects of alcohol.
Source:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230615/Light-to-moderate-alcohol-consumption-lowers-cardiovascular-risk-through-stress-reduction.aspx