How does drinking alcohol affect my risk of heart failure?
The heavy, long-term use of alcohol can damage the heart muscle by causing it to weaken and stretch, resulting in a condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy.1-3 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy, also called alcoholic heart muscle disease, can eventually lead to heart failure in both women and men.1-4 It is not known exactly how long-term, heavy drinking damages the heart, but about 4% of all heart muscle diseases are caused by alcohol abuse.1 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is generally caused by the long-term consumption of at least 6 alcoholic drinks a day (about the same as one bottle of wine).5 A woman who drinks a bottle of wine a day for 20 years is at risk of developing alcoholic cardiomyopathy.1, 3 The majority of alcoholic cardiomyopathies happen in men because men have a higher rate of alcohol abuse than do women.1, 6 However, women seem to be more sensitive than men to the toxic effects of alcohol. Women have a higher amount of alcohol in their blood after drinking the same amount as men,
