Cardiac Glycogen Fluctuations Are Robust in Short-Term Than Long-Term Binge Drinking and Follows a Sex Specific Manner.

Drinking behavior, especially binge drinking, has a debilitating impact on systemic health. In this study, we report that in the absence of any changes in hepatic lactate dehydrogenase activity, the cardiac glycogen level fluctuates following short-term binge drinking. The change in cardiac glycogen levels follows a sex specific pattern. Our work is first to demonstrate that early metabolic changes in the heart, specifically glycogen levels, can be an ideal readout for forthcoming hepatic and systemic complications following binge drinking at an earlier stage. Also, females demonstrate a robust change in cardiac glycogen levels in comparison to their binge drinking male counterparts following short-term exposure, hinting at an early cardiometabolic risk in females. This study prompts us to look at early metabolic changes in the heart as a marker for binge drinking-mediated injury.