EHN Launches New Position Paper on Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease
The European Heart Network (EHN) has unveiled its new position paper on alcohol and heart disease. The position paper is entitled: “The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease,” It is a decisive call for action, underpinned by the most up-to-date scientific evidence.
The EHN position paper is based on research performed by Tim Stockwell at the University of Victoria, Canada. It dismantles long-standing myths about alcohol’s supposed benefits for heart health and highlights the urgent need for more ambitious policies to protect people’s cardiovascular health and build healthier environments across Europe.
Research confirms that already low levels of consumption raise the risk of major cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and stroke.”
European Heart Network
Already Low Levels of Alcohol Use Raise Risk of Major Cardiovascular Conditions
Despite widespread public belief, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption protects against cardiovascular disease (CVD). On the contrary, research confirms that already low levels of consumption raise the risk of major cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and stroke. At higher levels, the risks only increase.
This position paper sets the record straight: when it comes to heart health, less alcohol is better, and none is best,” said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, President of EHN, according the media release.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, President, European Heart Network
For many years, the World Health Organisation has been warning that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death resulting from alcohol in the WHO European Region, followed by cancers, digestive diseases and injuries.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death also in the EU, responsible for 1.7 million deaths annually, or 32.7% of all deaths. Alarmingly, alcohol consumption alone is linked to an estimated 50,000 cardiovascular deaths each year.
The burden is unequally distributed, with disadvantaged populations suffering the highest levels of alcohol-related harm.
Europe has the highest alcohol consumption rates globally, with nine of the ten highest-consuming countries located within the WHO European Region. Binge alcohol use is particularly prevalent among young people, yet public awareness of alcohol as a cardiovascular risk factor remains dangerously low.
EHN Calls For Ambitious Alcohol Policy Action
In light of these findings EHN urges EU decision-makers to adopt an ambitious set of alcohol policy actions to prevent and reduce alcohol harm and prioritise people’s health:
- Raise alcohol excise duties and implement minimum unit pricing,
- Set a harmonised legal minimum age of 18 for purchasing and consuming alcohol, online and offline,
- Ban alcohol marketing to children and young people,
- End EU subsidies for alcohol production and related products,
- Introduce mandatory front-of-pack energy labelling and list of ingredients for all alcoholic beverages, and
- Add EU-wide health warnings to alcohol products to inform consumers of associated cardiovascular risks.
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption for cardiovascular health and the burden on stroke has been established for a very long time,” said Marleen Kestens, EHN Manager for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Policies, according to the media release.
Public health must take precedence over outdated myths and industry narratives. Strong, evidence-based policies are essential to help people live longer, healthier lives.”
Marleen Kestens, Manager for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Policies, European Heart Network
Understanding Alcohol’s Impact on Human Heart
In 2022, the World Heart Federation (WHF) issued policy brief that received tremendous attention. It established the evidence base that no amount of alcohol is good for the heart. The lastest scientific evidence shows that any amount of alcohol use, already low-doses, can harm cardiovascular health. The policy brief by WHF called for urgent and decisive action to tackle the unprecedented rise in alcohol-related death and disability worldwide.
In January 2024, a U.S. study revealed that there was a significant increase in alcohol-related cardiovascular deaths in the United States between 1999 and 2019. This shows that Europe and the U.S. face very similar problems concerning alcohol’s contribution to the cardiovascular disease burden.
Movendi International has published key resources to increase recognition of alcohol’s impact on the human heart, such two Special Alcohol Issues Features and one scientific report. All in all, more than 50 resource articles are available on the link between alcohol and cardiovascular harm, as well as the potential of alcohol policy for cardiovascular health promotion.
In 2023, a landmark scientific report on alcohol and blood pressure summarized the best scientific research and provided a state-of-the-art overview of alcohol’s substantial causal role in the genesis of hypertension and related diseases. This report showed the potential of alcohol policy to help prevent hypertension and related diseases.
A landmark scientific article from 2022 showed that all amounts of alcohol consumption increase cardiovascular risk, that the lower heart disease risk experienced by light to small alcohol consumption is likely due to other healthy lifestyle factors and not alcohol use.
Additionally, the researchers did a Mendelian analysis and found that the risk of cardiovascular disease increases exponentially with the level of alcohol use. The findings indicate there is a rise in cardiovascular even at levels deemed “low risk” by national guidelines.
Key Insights From the Position Paper
- No Protective Effect: Contrary to popular belief, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support a protective effect of low-to-moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular health in general, or heart health in particular.
- Significant Risk Factor: Alcohol consumption, especially above low amounts, is identified as an important risk factor for a range of serious cardiovascular conditions, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and stroke.
- Leading Cause of Mortality: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading category of alcohol-attributable mortality in the EU. Europe also has the highest rates of alcohol consumption globally, with approximately 290,000 deaths each year in the EU attributed to alcohol-related causes, including at least 50,000 CVD deaths.
- Economic Burden: Alcohol-related harm places a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems, with an estimated €125 billion annually in the EU.
- Vulnerable Populations: Disadvantaged and vulnerable populations experience higher rates of alcohol-related death and hospitalisation, highlighting significant health inequalities.
