title: Dose-related effects of red wine and alcohol on heart rate variability.
abstract: In healthy subjects a standard drink of either red wine (RW) or ethanol (EtOH) has no effect on muscle sympathetic nerve activity or on heart rate (HR), whereas two drinks increase both. Using time- and frequency-domain indexes of HR variability (HRV), we now tested in 12 subjects (24-47 yr, 6 men) the hypotheses that 1) this HR increase reflects concurrent dose-related augmented sympathetic HR modulation and 2) RW with high-polyphenol content differs from EtOH in its acute HRV effects. RW, EtOH, and water were provided on 3 days, 2 wk apart according to a randomized, single-blind design. Eight-minute segments were analyzed. One alcoholic drink increased blood concentrations to 36 + or - 2 mg/dl (mean + or - SE), and 2 drinks to 72 + or - 4 (RW) and 80 + or - 2 mg/dl (EtOH). RW quadrupled plasma resveratrol (P < 0.001). HR fell after both water drinks. When compared with respective baselines, one alcoholic drink had no effect on HR or HRV, whereas two glasses of both increased HR (RW, +5.4 + or - 1.2; and EtOH, +5.7 + or - 1.2 min(-1); P < 0.001), decreased total HRV by 28-33% (P < 0.05) and high-frequency spectral power by 32-42% (vagal HR modulation), and increased low-frequency power by 28-34% and the ratio of low frequency to high frequency by 98-119% (sympathetic HR modulation) (all, P < or = 0.01). In summary, when compared with water, one standard drink lowered time- and frequency-domain markers of vagal HR modulation. When compared with respective baselines, two alcoholic drinks increased HR by diminished vagal and augmented sympathetic HR modulation. Thus alcohol exerts dose-dependent HRV responses, with RW and EtOH having a similar effect.
authors.affiliation: University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. jonas.spaak@ki.se
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spaak
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Cheri L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: McGowan
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Soleas
authors.forename: Beverley L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Picton
authors.forename: Catherine F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Notarius
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Floras
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol