Health. Why do champagne and wine reduce the risk of sudden cardiac arrest?

Should you drink champagne to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)? This is what a study conducted on more than 500,000 middle-aged people suggests. Drinking champagne or wine may have the power to protect against SCA. This is thanks to the "cardioprotective" effects of these two alcohols, which can cause vasodilation of the second type. That is, they could reduce blood pressure and improve blood circulation.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart beats too fast and no longer pumps blood from the brain to the rest of the body. This electrical problem kills the person within minutes. In France, 50,000 people suffer from a cardiac arrest each year. Only 5% of them survive.

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology , identified 56 non-clinical risk factors that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, such as environment, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status. Eating fruit regularly, controlling your weight, and drinking champagne and wine are among the recommendations that can help reduce the risk.

"We were surprised"

The researchers estimate that between 40% and 63% of SCAs could be prevented if all 56 factors were taken into account. "To our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively examine the associations between non-clinical modifiable risk factors and SCA incidence. We were surprised by the significant proportion of SCA cases that could be prevented by improving unfavorable profiles," said Renjie Chen, a researcher at Fudan University in Shanghai, who participated in the study.

For the first time, a study has highlighted the positive health effects of champagne and wine in preventing SCA. "These findings reinforce the idea that the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption may be more complex than previously thought," Nicholas Grubic of the University of Toronto and Dakota Gustafson of Queen's University in Ontario explained in The Guardian .

However, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to heart problems, so it's important to consume it in moderation. Maintaining regular physical activity is also another factor in reducing the risk of SCA.