Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent coronary artery disease, the condition that leads to heart attacks.
Red Wine Is Considered "Healthier" for the Heart
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, flavonoids can also improve lipid profiles, reduce insulin resistance, and decrease oxidative stress.
Red wine is widely recognized as one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks out there. Poon notes that it's "relatively low in calories and also offers some health benefits."9 She adds that red wine is rich in antioxidants such as resveratrol and proanthocyanidins and can promote cardiovascular health.
However, if you are going to drink, having red wine in moderation is a healthier choice than other alcoholic drinks. This is due to its high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols, which have been linked to better heart and gut health.
Excessive alcohol consumption can have serious health consequences. However, consuming moderate amounts of some types of alcohol may have the opposite effect. Some options for the healthiest alcohol to drink in moderation include red, white, and sparkling wine, low sugar cocktails, light beer, and cider.
For most people living with a heart condition it is OK to drink in moderation. But if you've been diagnosed with certain conditions, like cardiomyopathy, you might need to avoid drinking alcohol completely. Check with your doctor for advice on whether it is safe for you to drink alcohol and how much.
The American Heart Association says moderate alcohol consumption can help protect against heart disease by raising HDL ("good") cholesterol and reducing plaque buildup in your arteries. Alcohol also has a mild blood thinning effect, which can keep platelets from clumping together to form blood clots.
“It doesn't matter what beverage if you have a high risk, it's all about the amount,” Klatsky says. “There's plenty of research that shows heavy beer drinkers, heavy wine drinkers, it doesn't matter, they are all at risk of increasing high blood pressure when drinking in excess.”
Some research has shown an association between drinking red wine — and even beer and spirits — and better health. Some possible reasons for how these alcoholic drinks improve heart and blood vessel health include: Raising HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
They define moderation as one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men. Also, consider that a standard glass of wine is 5 ounces, but many people pour more. Given that information, if you drink a bottle of wine per day, you're already well above this recommendation.
Answer: If you are someone who typically drinks alcohol each day, a wine, a beer, something like that, it's probably better not to drink alcohol for the first month after you get home to allow your heart to recover. We do know that at higher levels, alcohol is bad for the heart.
How does alcohol affect my heart? There is a very clear link between regularly drinking too much alcohol and having high blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure (hypertension) puts strain on the heart muscle and can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Wines, spirit on the rocks, and a low carb beer are some alcoholic beverages that may be least harmful.
It's heart-healthy.
Vodka can increase blood-flow and circulation in your body which can prevent clots, strokes, and other heart diseases.
Alcohol impacts receptors in blood vessels near the heart that help maintain blood pressure. Alcohol increases stress hormones like cortisol which can increase heart rate and blood pressure. Regular alcohol use often leads to increased body weight (a major risk factor for high blood pressure).
According to the pH level, gin, tequila, and non-grain vodkas are the lowest acidity options; choosing drinks made with these alcohols will be best on your stomach. You'll be best served by a drink made with a light juice like apple, pear, or cranberry, but sometimes you just really want that kick of citrus.
Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day may increase your blood pressure. If you're a big fan of coffee, tea or other caffeine-rich drinks, such as cola and some energy drinks, consider cutting down.
Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, your health care professional may advise you to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink.
In moderate amounts, red wine is commonly linked to healthy cholesterol levels. But drinking more hard liquor, beer, mixed drinks, and excess red wine has a negative impact on your cholesterol levels.
Heavy drinkers who want to lower blood pressure should slowly reduce how much they drink over one to two weeks. Another non-pharmacological prevention and treatment of alcohol-induced hypertension is physical conditioning or exercise training.
Potential Health Benefits of Gin
While light drinking has a positive impact on them, heavy drinking negatively affects or increases the risk for the following: Blood Pressure. Coronary Artery Disease. Heart Failure.
Some research suggests coffee can lower the risk for high blood pressure, also called hypertension, in people who don't already have it. But drinking too much coffee has been shown to raise blood pressure and lead to anxiety, heart palpitations and trouble sleeping.
Whether or not moderate drinking is good for your heart is open to debate. However, for most people, it doesn't appear to be harmful to the heart — but the key word is “moderate.” Moderate drinking is defined as an average of one drink per day for women and one or two for men.
Blood pressure medication: It's particularly dangerous to mix alcohol with blood pressure medications, like beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, because alcohol can excessively lower your blood pressure, leading to dizziness and rapid heartbeat, and raising your risk of falls or of passing out.
For men, binge drinking is 5 or more drinks consumed on one occasion. Underage drinking: Any alcohol use by those under age 21. Heavy drinking: For women, heavy drinking is 8 drinks or more per week. For men, heavy drinking is 15 drinks or more per week.