Risks Of Drinking Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can actually increase your risk for heart disease and stroke, raise blood pressure, contribute to obesity, and increase the levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood.
Excessive drinking also can lead to heart muscle disease , irregular heartbeat , and stroke. Eventually, heavy alcohol use can leave the heart too weak to pump efficiently, a condition called congestive heart failure.
Because drinking alcohol also has other downsides, including increased risk of some cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, and an increased risk of accidents, the American Heart Association does not recommend that you start drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverages specifically to lower your cholesterol or improve your heart health. Instead, the organization advises watching your weight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly to keep your cholesterol levels in check.
If you do plan to drink, check with your doctor first, and drink in moderation — . Some people, especially pregnant women, and those who take certain medicines regularly, should avoid alcohol entirely.
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Will Alcohol Mess Up My Blood Test
If you are getting blood work done, its best to avoid alcohol consumption, especially for fasting blood tests. Drinking alcohol can cause irregular enzyme, blood sugar, and fat levels and give inaccurate blood test results. Avoid drinking alcohol before taking these common blood tests: Cholesterol tests.
How Beer Affects Cholesterol
Most cholesterol is made in your body, and the rest comes from your diet.
When your doctor talks about your cholesterol, theyre actually talking about two types of cholesterol HDL and LDL along with triglycerides, which are a type of fat. When we refer to total cholesterol, its a combination of HDL and LDL cholesterol plus triglycerides.
While a cold brew may raise your spirits, beer raises triglyceride levels. This is because beer contains carbohydrates and alcohol, two substances that raise triglycerides quickly. And people who are more sensitive to the effects of beer can experience even higher levels of triglycerides.
Since triglycerides are part of the total cholesterol count, this means that if your triglycerides increase, your total cholesterol increases as well. Ideally, your triglyceride level should be below 150 milligrams per deciliter .
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It Makes Your Blood Platelets Less Sticky
Platelets are a type of blood cell that form clots by sticking together. When your platelets are stickier, it raises the risk of forming a blood clot that can travel to your heart and cause a heart attack or to your brain where it can lead to a stroke.
Studies show that light or moderate wine drinking can reduce platelet aggregation and coagulation, reducing the risk for heart attacks and strokes. In a laboratory study reported in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers combined platelets with red wine, extracted red wine polyphenols or non-wine alcohol. They then evaluated the impact on platelet aggregation. The red wine and isolated red wine polyphenols both inhibited aggregation dose-dependently while non-wine alcohol did not inhibit aggregation.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
How We Know C1: 0 Works
C15:0s ability to benefit our cells and our health was discovered by Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist who found that some geriatric dolphins had fewer age-related illnesses than others.
Dr. Venn-Watson found that higher circulating levels of the fatty acid C15:0 were responsible for many of the health benefits seen in the healthiest dolphins. She went further, looking into the health benefits of this molecule in human populations and, three years later, published her findings in Nature’s Scientific Reports in 2020. Since that time, more than 50 peer reviewed publications have been published supporting the health benefits of C15:0.
C15:0 works in your cells in several important ways:*
- Improved cellular signaling. By activating special receptors called PPARs, C15:0 helps regulate homeostatic processes, including the process involved in supporting heart health by maintaining normal cholesterol levels.
- Cell membrane support. C15:0 is a sturdy fatty acid that gets into the cell membrane to strengthen it. Strong cell membranes means protection for the parts of the cell that matter most.
- Increased mitochondrial function. Sluggish mitochondria get a wake-up call with C15:0. Research shows that C15:0 helps increase mitochondrial function by up to 45%.
The problem is that its hard to get enough C15:0 with diet alone increasing your whole-fat dairy intake would mean extra calories, sugars, and high levels of the “bad,” even-chain saturated fats.
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How Do Beer And Alcohol Affect Your Cholesterol
38 percent of Americans suffer from high cholesterol, and many also consume large amounts of alcohol. While the two issues are not necessarily linkedsmoking, diet, and exercise are also major factorsthere does appear to be a connection between how much you drink and your cholesterol levels.
But is drinking always bad for your cholesterol? How much drinking is too much? Does alcohol raise cholesterol in every case, or could some types of alcohol actually be beneficial? Below, well discuss the facts around cholesterol and alcohol, and how to keep a healthy balance.
Is Alcohol Always Bad For Cholesterol
So, does alcohol cause high cholesterol in every situation?
In excess, alcohol can be a factor in high cholesterol levels. But in moderation, alcohol is not always a bad thing. In fact, some studies suggest that red wine can actually increase HDL levels, due to chemicals called polyphenols.
Its important to point out, however, that these same beneficial compounds are available in ordinary grapes and other fruits such as blueberries. And, according to the American Heart Association, regular exercise is much more effective at raising HDL levels than drinking wine.
In other words, while small amounts of red wine may not make your cholesterol worse, it shouldnt be your go-to for balancing your LDL/HDL levels.
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How Drinking Beer Affects Cholesterol
Beer is probably the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world. Although beer sometimes garners a bad reputation due to its alcohol content, it also contains a few surprisingly healthy ingredients.
Barley, one such ingredient that is used to make beer, contains polyphenols, which have been linked to lowering cholesterol levels and promoting heart health.
There are also some studies suggesting that, in modest amounts, alcoholic beverages such as beer may also be able to improve heart health. But can drinking beer also lower your cholesterol levels?
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Is Beer Bad For Heart Health
Beer generally gets a bad heart-health rap thanks to its calorie and sugar content. This raises your risk of obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, which in turn is a risk factor for high cholesterol. But the story isnt as clear-cut as it first seems, as beer may also confer some heart benefits.
One reason is that the barley, malt and hops used to brew beer contain polyphenols plant compounds that have been linked to lowering cholesterol levels and overall risk of heart disease. Beer is also a reasonable source of vitamin B6, a nutrient that helps dampen the effect of homocysteine, a blood chemical associated with a higher risk of heart disease.
Heavy drinking more than 14 units a week on a regular basis still carries strong health warnings. But there is some evidence suggesting that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, including beer, may help protect against heart disease.
This protection is normally found in men over 40 and postmenopausal women. But in 2017, researchers from the University of Cambridge and University College London found that moderate drinkers were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared with both teetotalers and heavy drinkers. This protection was found in both men and women aged over 30.
Do light beers have any health benefits?
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When Should My Cholesterol Levels Be Tested
Your GP may recommend that you have your blood cholesterol levels tested if you:
- have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, stroke or mini stroke , or peripheral arterial disease
- have a family history of early cardiovascular disease
- have a close family member who has a cholesterol-related condition
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Can Walking Increase Hdl
1. Walking raises your good cholesterol and lowers your bad cholesterol. A brisk 30-minute walk three times per week is enough to raise your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol a few points. This amount of exercise, even without weight loss, is shown to improve your cholesterol levels.
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Where Does All The Extra Cholesterol Come From
While your body makes all the cholesterol you need, you also get some from your diet. Cholesterol is found in animal-derived foods such as beef, chicken, fish, and cheese. Because of this, it was long thought that dietary cholesterol contributed to elevated blood cholesterol.
We used to recommend that patients limit their consumption of foods like eggs yolks if they had high cholesterol. We now know that dietary cholesterol in the amounts Americans typically consume has very little influence on blood cholesterol levels.
What Causes Elevated Cholesterol
As far as diet, saturated fat is the single most influential factor affecting on cholesterol levels. A diet high in saturated fat has a potent influence on raising low-density lipoprotein, a harmful form of cholesterol.
Lifestyle choices can affect your cholesterol levels by influencing how your body breaks down cholesterol. Smoking for example, is well-known to increase cholesterol and another blood fat called triglyceride. Alcohol intake also influences cholesterol levels.
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How Drinking Alcohol Affects Your Cholesterol
Your liver produces all the cholesterol your body needs. However, your cholesterol levels can change when you eat certain foods and drinks, including alcohol.
The same organ that produces cholesterol is also responsible for processing alcohol. Thats why excessive alcohol consumption can increase your cholesterol levels, specifically your bad cholesterol levels.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines excessive drinking as:
- consuming more than two alcoholic drinks a day if youre a man
- consuming more than one alcoholic drink a day if youre a woman
The NIAAA defines a drink as any alcoholic beverage that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol. This amount of alcohol appears in:
- 12 ounces of regular beer
- 5 ounces of wine
- 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits
What Is The Best Alcohol To Drink To Lower Cholesterol
The benefits of drinking alcohol are numerous, including the fact that it boosts good cholesterol. Red wine, in particular, might have the greatest effect on reducing heart disease risk and preventing deaths because it contains natural phytochemicals that have antioxidant properties and may protect arteries.
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Red Wine: Hero Or Hype
Of all alcoholic beverages studied, red wine seems to be the champion in terms of purported heart health benefits. Its true, there are some distinct health benefits that accompany moderate red wine consumption:
- Red wine may raise HDL cholesterol. Studies do show that drinking alcohol, especially red wine, in small, controlled amounts, can increase the rate of apolipoprotein transport, which happens in the liver. The result of this process is a spike in good HDL cholesterol, which helps lower the bad LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream.
- Red wine contains resveratrol. This naturally occurring plant phenol is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect your body against oxidative stress that can damage tissues. As such, the resveratrol in red wine may help protect your arteries against the buildup of plaque by keeping them supported and healthy.
Cheers to the good news! Science supports some impressive health benefits associated with wine drinking. However, theres still a little bit of a rain cloud despite the apparent silver lining.
When Should You See A Doctor
A healthcare professional can test your cholesterol levels to determine whether theyre currently within a healthy range, as well as assess other potential heart disease risk factors.
If youre currently consuming multiple drinks per day or feel that your alcohol intake is harming your physical and mental health, there are ways to get help.
Talk with a trusted health professional about your concerns or visit this website to find treatment options and resources near you.
Summary
Light to moderate alcohol intake is unlikely to harm cholesterol levels, but heavy drinking can. If youre concerned that your drinking is damaging your health, consult a healthcare professional.
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When Should You Consult A Physician
A healthcare expert can analyse your cholesterol levels and potential heart disease risk factors. They can determine whether they are within a healthy range.
Light to moderate alcohol consumption is unlikely to worsen cholesterol levels. But heavy alcohol consumption is dangerous. If you are concerned that your drinking is negatively impacting your health, you should visit a medical expert, concludes Hewlett.
Learn More: What is Alcohol Use Disorder?
Do You Always Need To Fast Before A Blood Test
The purpose of a blood test is to check for health problems and to see how well your body is functioning. In addition to determining the effectiveness of treatments, doctors use them to monitor patient health. All blood tests can be performed without fasting. Whether or not you should do so will be determined by your doctor.
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Alcohol Consumption And Overall Risk For Cardiovascular Disease
It is essential to think of the impact of alcohol consumption on HDL cholesterol level in perspective of every variable that plays a role in heart illness. Although 30 ml of alcohol can improve HDL, it is imperative to keep in mind that exactly the same quantity of alcohol at the same time elevated the triglycerides levels increasing the risk of getting a cardiovascular disease of approximately 5%. Therefore, alcohol may lower heart illness somewhat but can also increase it.
What Qualifies As High Cholesterol
In general, the following cholesterol levels are considered normal in healthy individuals:
- Total Cholesterol: Below 200 milligrams per deciliter
- LDL: Less than 130 mg/dL
- HDL: More than 40 mg/dL
Overall cholesterol above 240 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol at 160 mg/dL or above is considered high. LDL at 190 mg/dL or higher is considered very high. Such levels put people at risk for blood clots, chest pain, heart attack, and stroke.
Schedule a private call with a Ria Health team member and we can help you get started.
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Can Alcohol Raise Your Cholesterol
You will have higher levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood if you drink alcohol. Too much triglyceride in the blood can cause fatty liver disease if it builds up in the liver. Due to insufficient liver function, cholesterol levels in the blood increase due to a failure to remove cholesterol from the blood.
Which Alcoholic Beverages Have The Most Benefits
Actually, how you drink your alcohol is more important than the particular alcoholic beverage you choose. One drink per day does not have the same health implications as drinking all seven drinks in one night.
When it comes to having a heart attack, the cohort data shows you are at greater risk for myocardial infarction if you consume alcohol at least 3 or 4 days per week.
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Getting A Cholesterol Test
A blood sample is taken that will be used to determine the amount of bad cholesterol , good cholesterol and other fatty substances in your blood.
You may be asked not to eat for 10-12 hours before the cholesterol test, usually including when you’re asleep at night. This ensures that all food is completely digested and won’t affect the outcome of the test.
Your GP or practice nurse can carry out the cholesterol test and will take a blood sample, either using a needle and a syringe or by pricking your finger.
A newer type of test that measures non-high-density lipoprotein is now sometimes used because it’s thought to be a more accurate way of estimating cardiovascular disease risk than LDL.
Non-HDL cholesterol is total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol. It’s also not necessary to fast before the test, so it is more convenient.
Shifting Benefits And Risks
The benefits and risks of moderate drinking change over a lifetime. In general, risks exceed benefits until middle age, when cardiovascular disease begins to account for an increasingly large share of the burden of disease and death.
- For a pregnant woman and her unborn child, a recovering alcoholic, a person with liver disease, and people taking one or more medications that interact with alcohol, moderate drinking offers little benefit and substantial risks.
- For a 30-year-old man, the increased risk of alcohol-related accidents outweighs the possible heart-related benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.
- For a 60-year-old man, a drink a day may offer protection against heart disease that is likely to outweigh potential harm .
- For a 60-year-old woman, the benefit/risk calculations are trickier. Ten times more women die each year from heart disease than from breast cancer . However, studies show that women are far more afraid of developing breast cancer than heart disease, something that must be factored into the equation.
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How Does Alcohol Raise Your Cholesterol
- When you drink alcohol, its broken down and rebuilt into triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver. So, drinking alcohol raises the triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood.
- If your triglyceride levels become too high, they can build up in the liver, causing fatty liver disease. The liver cant work as well as it should and cant remove cholesterol from your blood, so your cholesterol levels rise.
- Alcohol can lead to the combination of a high triglyceride level along with low HDL cholesterol. This can lead to heart disease.
Alcohol can affect your health in other ways too:
- it can lead to weight gain, raising your risk of heart disease
- it can raise your blood pressure, which also raises your risk of heart disease
- it can lead to some types of cancer, liver disease, pancreatitis, depression and dependency.