Wine Unhealthy for the Elderly: Doctors Claim One Small Glass Can Cause Heart Damage

Drinking alcohol in moderation may be fine when you're young, but a new study shows that a few drinks may cause heart problems among the elderly.

The research, which was published online on May 26 in the journal Circulation, found that elderly women may suffer heart damage from drinking one glass of wine daily. However, men of the same age are less susceptible and are only at risk if they take more than two glasses of alcohol daily.

Dr. Scott Solomon, professor at Harvard Medical School, says alcohol consumption among the elderly may cause their heart muscles to thin and weaken, Daily Mail has learned.

More than 4,000 senior citizens with the average age of 76 were asked to participate in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. More than half of them said they do not drink. Their weekly alcohol consumption was monitored, along with the size, structure, and condition of their hearts using cardiovascular imaging.

Scientists found that the more alcohol is consumed, the greater the drawback to the heart's function and structure, especially to the left ventricle—one of the pumping chambers of the heart.

In the study, one drink was equivalent to one small glass of wine, half a pint of beer, or approximately an ounce and a half of spirits.

"In spite of potential benefits of low alcohol intake, our findings highlight the possible hazards to cardiac structure and function by increased amounts of alcohol consumption in the elderly, particularly among women," said Alexandra Goncalves, lead author of the study from Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"This reinforces recommendations that those who drink should not overindulge," Goncalves added.

Meanwhile, speaking of women and their higher susceptibility to heart damage due to alcohol, the researchers said females metabolize alcohol differently.

"Women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than men, and women seem to be more sensitive than men to the toxic effects of alcohol on cardiac function, developing alcoholic cardiomyopathy with a lower total lifetime dose of alcohol compared with men," the researchers said, according to Today.com.

However, one cardiologist insists that the new study is contradicting another research that found health benefits in adults who drink alcohol moderately, reports CBS News. 

"While heavy consumption of alcohol can result in heart disease and heart failure, a number of studies have suggested that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes compared to non-drinkers," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow of the University of California who was not involved in the study. 

"Thus, any clinical significance of these findings is unclear at the present time," Fonarow opined.

Dr. Goncalves agreed that moderate alcohol consumption may have benefits, but she reiterated that it is unclear how much alcohol can damage the heart.