Your body needs some cholesterol to give structure to cell and artery walls, as well as to produce certain hormones. While you do need some cholesterol, your liver produces everything you need. Drinking alcohol can be harmful to your cholesterol levels if you consume too much. Binge drinking can raise your risk factors for high cholesterol, putting a strain on your heart. Some evidence suggests, on the other hand, that moderate drinking may lower your cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol or a family history of it, talk with your doctor about the effects alcohol has on your low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol levels.
Types of Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is nicknamed the "bad" cholesterol due to its harmful effects. LDL cholesterol builds up on artery walls, causing hardening and narrowing in arteries. Having high LDL is a major risk factor for heart disease, making it the target for cholesterol-lowering medications and lifestyle changes, such as decreasing alcohol consumption. High-density lipoprotein is the "good" cholesterol that transports LDL to the liver, which breaks it down and excretes it. You need certain levels of HDL to keep LDL at a safe level, and genetics plays a role in your cholesterol levels. One study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in April 2001 concludes that alcohol's effect on your LDL cholesterol is directly related to a certain gene. Two specific factors affect your LDL: gender and the apolipoprotein E gene, also called APOE. Men with the E4 allele of the APOE gene are genetically predisposed to having high LDL when they include alcohol in their diet.
Normal vs. High Cholesterol
For optimal heart health, your total cholesterol should fall below 200 mg/dL, harmful LDL should be less than 100 mg/dL and good HDL needs to stay above 60 mg/dL. If your total cholesterol rises above 240 mg/dL or your LDL is more than 190 mg/dL, you have a very high risk of developing heart disease, increasing your risk of mortality from a heart attack or stroke. High cholesterol does not produce any symptoms, so you probably won't know if your cholesterol is high, the National Cholesterol Education Program explains. Taking steps to lower your total cholesterol and LDL, such as sticking to one or two alcoholic drinks per day, decreases your risk of heart disease.
Alcohol Levels
Moderate drinking is defined as having one drink per day for women and two for men. One alcoholic beverage is 12 oz. of beer, 8 oz. of malt liquor, 4 oz. of wine or 1 1/2 oz. of distilled liquor, the American Heart Association says. Binge drinking is having four or more beverages at one sitting. In a study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in March 2002, moderate drinking lowered postmenopausal women's risk of cardiovascular disease. Consuming 15 g of alcohol per day, the approximate amount in one drink, along with following a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats, lowered the women's LDL, and drinking 30 g raised their HDL.
Additional Effects
Alcoholic beverages are a source of empty calories, meaning they provide energy from calories but very little nutrition. Binge drinking or consuming more than the recommended amount drastically increases the calories you consume, which can lead to weight gain. A full-calorie beer can have as many as 150 calories. Enjoying one beer per day packs on 1,050 calories to your diet in just a week. Being overweight may increase your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and spike your blood pressure, both of which contribute to heart disease.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Cholesterol Levels: What Numbers Should You Aim For?; June 2011
- American Heart Association: Alcohol, Wine and Cardiovascular Disease
- National Cholesterol Education Program; High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know; June 2005
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Alcohol Drinking Determines the Effect of the APOE Locus on LDL-Cholesterol Concentrations in Men: The Framingham Offspring Study: D. Corella, et al.; April 2001
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Moderate Alcohol Consumption Lowers Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Postmenopausal Women Fed a Controlled Diet; D.J. Baer, et al.; March 2002
