Associations of Alcohol Consumption With Left Atrial Morphology and Function in a Population at High Cardiovascular...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Cardiovascular Disease Research
• Alcohol and Heart Health

Background:

• Excessive alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation.
• Mechanisms linking alcohol to atrial fibrillation, such as left atrial changes, are not fully understood.
• Limited research exists on alcohol's impact on left atrial structure and function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between alcohol consumption and left atrial (LA) size and function.
• To examine how alcohol intake affects LA volume index and LA strains (reservoir, conduit, contractile).
• To determine if alcohol consumption predicts changes in LA measures over time in adults with metabolic syndrome.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 503 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus trial.
• Transthoracic echocardiography performed at baseline, year 3, and year 5.
• Alcohol consumption assessed via food frequency questionnaires; data analyzed using regression and mixed models.

Main Results:

• Higher alcohol consumption was cross-sectionally associated with larger left atrial volume and reduced reservoir and contractile strains.
• Increased alcohol consumption during follow-up predicted left atrial enlargement.
• No significant association was found between baseline alcohol intake and changes in left atrial measurements over time.

Conclusions:

• Increased alcohol consumption is associated with detrimental changes in left atrial size and function.
• These findings suggest a potential mechanism linking alcohol to atrial fibrillation risk.
• Alcohol intake modification may be important for maintaining atrial health in cardiovascular disease populations.