Keeping your heart healthy usually involves sacrificing some of life’s indulgences—but researchers have some good news for those who love a glass of bubbly.
They say that drinking champagne—and white wine—seems to drive down the risk of a sudden cardiac arrest.
Less controversially, the researchers say staying cheerful and eating more fruit also appears to protect the heart, while feeling ‘fed up’ is bad for you.
Nicholas Grubic, from the University of Toronto, said the study casts doubt on the long-held belief that red wine is better for you than white.
‘Research on the underlying mechanisms remains unclear, but these findings reinforce the idea that the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption may be more complex than previously assumed,’ he added.
The researchers, from Fudan University in Shanghai, looked at the health data of more than 500,000 middle to older-aged individuals in the UK.
Of those tracked, 3,147 people suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a typical follow-up period of around 14 years.
The study concluded that nearly two-thirds of sudden cardiac arrests may be avoidable, and identified 56 risk factors.
These include lifestyle choices, psychological factors and socio-economic status.
However, a higher consumption of champagne or white wine, more fruit, maintaining a positive mood, healthy weight management and keeping blood pressure under control were found to give the biggest boost to heart health.
The researchers concluded that up to 63 per cent of sudden cardiac arrest cases could be avoidable when looking at all these risk factors.
This happens when the heart stops pumping blood around the body without warning, caused by a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm. Breathing stops and the person becomes unconscious.
Without immediate treatment such as CPR, those who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest will die.
There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with a survival rate of less than one in ten, according to the British Heart Foundation.
The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, is backed up other research showing that ‘fed-up’ feelings, high body mass indexes and high blood pressure all increased the risk.
Study author, Dr Huihuan Luo, said: ‘We found significant associations between various modifiable factors and sudden cardiac arrest, with lifestyle changes being the most impactful in preventing cases.’
In an accompanying editorial, Nicholas Grubic from the University of Toronto, and Dakota Gustafson, from Queen’s University in Ontario, said: ‘One of the study’s most intriguing findings is the cardioprotective effect associated with champagne and white wine consumption, questioning long-held assumptions about the specificity of red wine’s cardioprotective properties.’
The suggestion that champagne and white wine may be helpful in preventing cardiac arrests however also conflicts with existing advice.
The British Heart Foundation says lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac arrests, but suggests cutting down on alcohol, quitting smoking and eating a healthy diet to help prevent potentially life-threatening heart problems.
