Research
Adherence
Alcohol abstinence significantly reduces the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and lowers AF burden compared to continued alcohol consumption in patients with paroxysmal AF.
If you have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, stopping alcohol consumption completely reduces the frequency and duration of AF episodes compared to continuing to drink.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In a controlled trial randomizing alcohol drinkers with paroxysmal AF either to alcohol abstinence or to continue their usual alcohol consumption, AF recurred in 53% of the abstinence group and 73% of the control group. Compared with the control group, the abstinence group had a significantly longer duration without AF recurrence (HR, 0.55) and significantly lower AF burden (median percent time in AF, 0.5% versus 1.2%).
Why this rating
Based on a controlled trial, which is high-quality evidence for this specific intervention.
Source
Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2021 Update
Salim S. Virani et al. · Circulation · 2021
DOI 10.1161/cir.0000000000000950
narrative_reviewCited 5,710×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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