Alcohol And Your Heart – The Interaction Is Immediate

So the weekend is here, nice weather is here and a cold brew or two –or more- may be on the schedule.  Common sense says take it easy but investigative science says so too and the researchers went all the way to Germany and Oktoberfest to prove it!

 The findings come from a study done at Munich's long-standing Bavarian beer festival held every autumn.

Over a 16-day period in 2015, WebMD.com says researchers tracked the heart health and drinking patterns of a group of more than 3,000 men and women and they found that drinking heavily over a short period of time can seriously raise the risk of an abnormal heart rhythm, even in healthy people.

So what does that much beer and that much excess in that short of a period of time do to the normal heart?  Investigators found that nearly a third of the group experienced an abnormal "cardiac arrhythmia" at some point during the festival. If that seems like a lot it is and a much higher percentage than usually seen among the general population.

The researchers at University Hospital Munich said this was the first time scientists were able to demonstrate that alcohol has an immediate effect on the heart rhythm.

Now knowing this, will Oktoberfest be any different this year?  Meet you in Munich and let’s find out!