A new study that was conducted by analyzing data from 14 previous studies has found that heavy drinkers are more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than people who drank little to no alcohol.

One caveat of the study is that the initial studies used very different standards for what they deemed as “heavy” drinking. At a minimum, heavy drinking was defined as two more drinks each day for a man and one or more per day for women. Some of those studies showed heavy drinking as people who downed at least six drinks daily. That is a vast difference, but once you combined the results from all of the studies, it was learned that heavy drinkers were 51 percent more likely to suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF) than light drinkers and non-drinkers.

This information isn’t new, according to the researchers led by Dr. Satoru Kodama of the University Of Tsukuba Institute Of Clinical Medicine in Ibaraki. But these results do suggest that people’s drinking habits really do matter.

“What we revealed in the current (study) is that not only episodic but habitual heavy drinking is associated with higher risk of AF,” co-researcher Dr. Hirohito Sone said to Reuters Health in an e-mail.

This study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. It also found that there is proof that links moderate drinking to an increased chance of developing AF as well, at least when compared to not drinking.

Multaq is a common treatment for temporary AF, but the drug has been linked to serious side effects including liver failure and abnormal heart rhythms. The drug is not recommended for permanent AF treatment as it causes death in some patients. If you or a loved one have suffered from liver failure after taking Multaq, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.