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Alcohol and the heart
The J-curve is mostly an artefact; the honest relationship is a line.
The old "moderate drinking protects the heart" finding has been picked apart: the apparent benefit came from comparing drinkers against former drinkers and sick abstainers. The better the study, the straighter the line — any drinking raises blood pressure and atrial-fibrillation risk, and heavier drinking raises everything.
The practical guidance matches: less is better, and the pattern matters as much as the total — the same weekly units spread across the week cost less than a Friday binge, because blood pressure and arrhythmia respond to the peak, not the average.
The numbers
- Any regular drinking raises blood pressure and AF risk; there is no protective dose.
- Pattern matters: the same units spread out cost less than binged.
Source: WHO — salt reduction and cardiovascular disease · checked 2026-09-07
Reference, not medical advice. Your targets are set by a clinician from your total risk. Chest pain, breathlessness at rest or fainting are emergency symptoms — get help, do not read on.