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Wine drinking is associated with increased heart rate variability in women with coronary heart disease
1Preventive Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, and Centre of Public Health, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.
Insights
Wine consumption, not beer or spirits, is linked to higher heart rate variability (HRV) in women with coronary heart disease (CHD). This suggests wine may influence cardiac autonomic activity in women with CHD.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Autonomic Nervous System Research
- Nutritional Epidemiology
Background:
- Moderate alcohol consumption's cardiovascular effects are complex and not fully understood.
- Cardiac autonomic activity, reflected by heart rate variability (HRV), plays a role in cardiovascular health.
- Previous research suggests potential benefits of moderate drinking, but specific beverage types and their impact on HRV in women with coronary heart disease (CHD) require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between alcohol consumption (beer, wine, spirits) and heart rate variability (HRV) in women with coronary heart disease (CHD).
- To determine if cardiac autonomic activity is implicated in the potential cardioprotective effects of moderate alcohol intake in this population.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving female patients who survived acute myocardial infarction or underwent revascularization procedures.
- Ambulatory 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were used to assess HRV parameters, including time-domain (SDNNI) and frequency-domain measures.
- Self-reported consumption of beer, wine, and spirits was evaluated using a standardized questionnaire, alongside other clinical covariates.
Main Results:
- Wine intake showed a significant positive association with increased HRV in both time and frequency domains, independent of other clinical factors.
- Specifically, ln SDNNI was higher in wine drinkers compared to non-drinkers (3.89 vs. 3.59, p=0.014).
- Consumption of beer and spirits, as well as the total amount of alcohol, did not show a significant relationship with any assessed HRV parameters.
Conclusions:
- Wine consumption, but not beer or spirits, is independently associated with enhanced heart rate variability (HRV) in women with coronary heart disease (CHD).
- These findings suggest that wine may uniquely influence cardiac autonomic function in women with CHD.
- The results contribute to understanding the intricate relationship between specific types of alcohol consumption and cardiovascular health in women with existing heart disease.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that alcohol consumption is positively related to heart rate variability (HRV) in women with coronary heart disease (CHD) and therefore that cardiac autonomic activity is potentially implicated in the mediation of the favourable effects of moderate drinking.
Design, Settings, And Patients:
Cross sectional study of female patients who survived hospitalisation for acute myocardial infarction or underwent a revascularisation procedure, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or coronary artery bypass grafting.
Main Outcome Measures:
Ambulatory 24 hour ECG was recorded during normal activities. The mean of the standard deviations of all normal to normal intervals for all five minute segments of the entire recording (SDNNI) and the following frequency domain parameters were assessed: total power, high frequency power, low frequency power, and very low frequency power. A standardised questionnaire evaluated self reported consumption of individual alcoholic beverage types: beer, wine, and spirits. Other clinical characteristics, such as age, body mass index, smoking habits, history of diabetes mellitus, menopausal status, educational status, and treatment, were also assessed.
Results:
Wine intake was associated with increased HRV in both time and frequency domains independently of other clinical covariates (for example, ln SDNNI was 3.89 among wine drinkers v 3.59 among wine non-drinkers in the multivariate model; p = 0.014). In contrast, consumption of beer and spirits and the total amount of alcohol consumed did not relate significantly to any of the HRV parameters.
Conclusion:
Intake of wine, but not of spirits or beer, is positively and independently associated with HRV in women with CHD. These results may contribute to the understanding of the complex relation between alcohol consumption and CHD.
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