Drinking less often may be important to protect against atrial fibrillation: Study

If you consume alcohol frequently, here is the news for you. A new study shows that drinking a small amount of alcohol frequently is linked with a higher likelihood of atrial fibrillation than infrequent binge drinking.The study has been published in EP Europace, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).Dr Jong-Il Choi, the study author from Korea University College, said: "Recommendations about alcohol consumption have focused on reducing the absolute amount rather than the frequency. Our study suggests that drinking less often may also be important to protect against atrial fibrillation."Binge drinking did not show any clear link with new-onset atrial fibrillation. "Our study suggests that frequent drinking is more dangerous than infrequent binge drinking with regard to atrial fibrillation," said Dr Choi.Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder and raises the risk of stroke by five-fold. Symptoms include palpitations, racing or irregular pulse, ...