More than 356,000 Americans suffer from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests per year, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Of these cases, nearly 90 percent are fatal. Sudden cardiac arrest stems from an irregular heart rhythm in which the heart stops working altogether, causing the person to slip into unconsciousness, per Mayo Clinic. A healthy diet and exercise can reduce your cardiovascular risk…as can a flute of bubbly? New research suggests that champagne can boost sudden cardiac arrest prevention.
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According to a new study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, champagne can help prevent sudden cardiac arrest—but only when consumed at "higher rates." This might sound counterintuitive, especially since red wine is typically associated with wine-related health benefits, such as blood clot prevention and lowering LDL "bad" cholesterol. However, new research shows that a steady diet of bubbly is one of three important protective factors for sudden cardiac arrest.
Before identifying cardioprotective measures, researchers ran a comprehensive analysis of 502,094 health charts from the UK Biobank and pinpointed 56 nonclinical, modifiable risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest. During a median follow-up period of 13.8 years, a total of 3,147 people experienced sudden cardiac arrest.
These nonclinical risk factors were characterized into five subgroups: lifestyle, psychosocial factors, local environment, physical measures, and socioeconomic status. Some adverse examples include high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, poor mental health, bad sleep hygiene, and greater arm fat mass.
The study authors found that up to 63 percent of sudden cardiac arrest cases could be averted through risk factor elimination. More specifically, removing the worst one-third of risk factors could prevent 40 percent of sudden cardiac arrests. This is considered a "conservative elimination." But a "thorough elimination," in which the worst two-thirds of risk factors are eliminated, can increase those prevention odds to 63 percent.
"We conducted an exposome-wide association study, which examines the relationship between a wide range of environmental exposures and health outcomes," said lead author Huihuan Luo, a PhD candidate at China’s Fudan University, in a statement obtained by The New York Post. "The study found significant associations between various modifiable factors and SCA, with lifestyle changes being the most impactful in preventing cases."
So, where does champagne come into play? In addition to eliminating risk factors, there are variables that can protect against sudden cardiac arrest, including a higher consumption of champagne and white wine.
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In an accompanying editorial, researchers dubbed this "one of the most intriguing findings" to come from the study. Validating champagne and white wine consumption challenges "long-held assumptions about the specificity of red wine’s cardioprotective properties," wrote Nicholas Grubic from the University of Toronto and Dakota Gustafson from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.
"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," they added.
Their conclusion also listed increased fruit intake, strong mental health, weight management, healthy blood pressure, and higher education as protective factors for sudden cardiac arrest.
