Drinking too much alcohol can cause fat to build up around the heart and liver.
- Heavy drinking and binge drinking were associated with higher levels of fat around the heart.
- Drinking wine appeared to be less linked to an increase in pericardial fat, potentially due to the benefits of its polyphenols.
- The link between alcohol consumption and ectopic fat had taken the shape of a J, a common way of visualizing the marked increase in health risks associated with alcohol consumption.
“The link between alcohol consumption and the distribution of ectopic fat (i.e. fat which accumulates in a place in the body where it does not belong), two known factors of cardiovascular disease, remains little studied “, indicated researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine (United States). This is why they conducted a study published in the journal Journal of the American Heart Association.
CT scans to “better understand how fat is distributed in the body”
As part of the work, the scientists used a cohort of 6,756 people aged 45 to 84. They classified their alcohol consumption: people who have never drunk it, former drinkers, adults who consume less than one alcoholic drink per day, those drinking one to two alcoholic drinks per day, heavy consumers ( more than two alcoholic drinks per day) and excessive drinkers (five or more alcoholic drinks in the same day).
CT scans were performed on a subset of participants, which allowed the team to analyze data on how much fat can accumulate in certain locations, such as around the heart (pericardial fat) and in the liver (liver fat). These exams “allow us to see deeper into the body to measure and better understand how fat is distributed throughout the body. Body fat distribution may explain differences in cardiovascular risk beyond the traditional measurement of obesity such as body mass index. For example, we know that two people with similar body mass index may have different cardiovascular risks,” explained Richard Kazibwe, author of the research, in a statement.
Heart: higher pericardial fat levels due to excessive alcohol consumption
According to the results, heavy drinking and binge drinking, compared to participants who never drank alcohol, were associated with higher pericardial (around the heart) fat levels. The results were similar for other ectopic deposits, with the strongest associations involving the pericardium (an elastic sac composed of two layers that surrounds the heart) and the liver. The authors found that the lowest levels of ectopic fat were seen in volunteers who reported light or moderate alcohol consumption.
Compared to beer and “hard” liqueurs or spirits, wine consumption seems less associated with an increase in pericardial fat. According to Richard Kazibwe, this could be explained by the benefits of polyphenols, antioxidant compounds present in wine. “In addition, other characteristics should be taken into account, such as diet and exercise. Wine drinkers could have better access to health care and a healthier lifestyle than those who do not consume some wine”, he added.
The scientists observed that the link between alcohol consumption and ectopic fat took the shape of a J, a common way of visualizing the marked increase in health risks associated with alcohol consumption. “Additional studies are needed to further clarify the role of ectopic fat distribution in the association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease,” concluded the team.
