In advice that may turn on its head previous conclusions about the benefits of a daily tipple, recent research – the largest of its kind – recommends that drinking sparkling and white wine, along with eating more fruit, staying slim and maintaining a positive outlook on life, could all help reduce your chances of sudden cardiac arrest.
Millions of people worldwide die every year after experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), when the heart stops pumping blood around the body without warning. The Guardian reports that they are caused by a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, when the electrical system in the heart is not working properly. Without immediate treatment such as CPR, those affected will die.
The study identified 56 non-clinical risk factors associated with SCA, spanning lifestyle, physical measures, psychosocial factors, socioeconomic status and the local environment. It found compelling evidence that addressing these things could prevent a large number of cases.
Drinking more Champagne and white wine, boosting your fruit intake, staying positive, controlling your weight and blood pressure, and improved education, may all serve as important protective factors, the researchers suggested – and concluded that between 40% and 63% of sudden cardiac arrest cases could be avoidable when looking at all 56 risk factors.
Their findings were published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
The study’s co-investigator Renjie Chen of Fudan University in Shanghai said: “To our knowledge, this is the first study that comprehensively investigated the associations between non-clinical modifiable risk factors and SCA incidence. We were surprised by the large proportion (40%-63%) of SCA cases that could be prevented by improving unfavourable profiles.”
Researchers studied more than 500 000 people using data from the UK Biobank. Of those tracked, 3 147 people suffered SCAs during a typical follow-up period of 14 years.
The study’s lead investigator, Huihuan Luo, also from Fudan University, said: “All previous studies investigating the risk factors of SCA were hypothesis-driven and focused on a limited number of candidate exposure factors grounded in prior knowledge or theoretical frameworks.
“We conducted an exposome-wide association study, which examines the relationship between a wide range of environmental exposures and health outcomes using UK Biobank data, followed by Mendelian randomisation to assess causal relationships.
“The study found significant associations between various modifiable factors and SCA, with lifestyle changes being the most impactful in preventing cases.”
Eliminating the worst third of the 56 risk factors suggested 40% of SCA cases could be prevented, according to the study. This increased to 63% SCA prevention if the worst two-thirds of the risk factors were eliminated.
In a linked editorial, Nicholas Grubic from the University of Toronto in Canada, and Dakota Gustafson from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, said: “One of the study’s most intriguing findings is the cardioprotective effect associated with Champagne and white wine consumption, questioning long-held assumptions about the specificity of red wine’s cardioprotective properties.
“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.”
The suggestion that Champagne and white wine may be helpful also conflict with existing advice.
The British Heart Foundation says lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of SCAs. These include cutting down on alcohol, quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, taking medications and following treatments from your doctor, as well as being physically active.
To reduce the “immense burden” SCAs put on health systems, population-wide strategies that prioritise prevention are required, Grubic and Gustafson wrote. But while shifting from responding to SCAs to preventing them may seem straightforward, doing so would be far more complex in practice, they said.
They said: “The multifactorial nature of these events – often influenced by a combination of genetic predispositions, underlying cardiovascular conditions, environmental triggers, and lifestyle factors – poses significant challenges for healthcare professionals and policymakers.”
Study details
Modifiable Risk Factors and Attributable Burden of Cardiac Arrest: An Exposome-wide and Mendelian Randomisation Analysis
Huihuan Luo, Qingli Zhang, Lu Zhou.
Published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology on 28 April 2025
Abstract
Background
In this study, we aimed to identify nonclinical modifiable risk factors associated with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) incidence, and to assess attributable burden.
Methods
Data on 125 potentially modifiable risk factors were extracted from the UK Biobank cohort. An exposome-wide association study was conducted using a Cox proportional hazard model, followed by validation of significant associations using Mendelian randomization to identify causal relationships. The attributable burden of SCA was evaluated on the basis of improvements in unfavourable profiles. We also evaluated the attributable burden to be eliminated via improvement of unfavourable profiles.
Results
Of 502 094 individuals, 3 147 developed SCA during a median follow-up duration of 13.8 years. SCA was associated with 56 risk factors spanning lifestyles, physical measures, psychosocial factors, socioeconomic status, and the local environment. Mendelian randomisation analysis confirmed protective effects associated with 3 factors (ie, computer use, and higher rates of consumption of Champagne and/or white wine and fruit intake) and adverse effects associated with 6 factors (ie, fed-up feelings, greater arm fat mass and percentage, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and lower education level). Between 40% (conservative elimination) and 63% (thorough elimination) of SCA cases could be prevented by improving unfavourable profiles, with lifestyle modifications accounting for the largest proportion of preventable cases, followed by improvements in physical measures, psychosocial factors, socioeconomic status, and the local environment.
Conclusions
This large-scale, prospective cohort study offers compelling evidence on the profile of modifiable risk factors and the attributable burden of SCA.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
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Two glasses of wine can exceed daily sugar limit, warn UK experts
Fruit but not fruit juice to lower type 2 diabetes risk — AusDiab study
Eating mostly plant-based foods may be linked to better heart health