What happens to your heart when you drink alcohol

(ORDO NEWS) — Pay close attention to how devastating the effect alcohol has on one of the most important organs.

You have no doubt heard that red wine is good for the heart, but does this statement apply to all types of alcoholic beverages? Below we will tell you what happens to your heart when you drink beer, wine or spirits.

Before we look at what science has to say about the impact of excessive drinking on your heart health, let’s first define what is meant by “overdrinking”. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that alcoholic beverages are beverages that should be limited. If you do decide to drink, the maximum recommended amount is two drinks for men and one drink for women per day.

One serving is 350 milliliters of beer with an alcohol content of no more than 5%, 150 milliliters of wine with an alcohol content of no more than 12% and 50 milliliters of spirits with an alcohol content of 40%. This means that if you choose “craft” alcoholic beverages with a higher alcohol content, you are getting more than one serving.

Some craft beers can contain so much alcohol that one 350 milliliter glass of craft beer is equal to three servings of alcohol. Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages will definitely result in serious health problems - especially with the heart.

1. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to high blood pressure

Research data shows that excessive alcohol consumption is associated with high blood pressure. Although the mechanism of alcohol’s effects is still being studied, scientific evidence suggests that drinking more than three drinks in one sitting can result in an increase in blood pressure. If this happens regularly over a long period of time, it can lead to the development of hypertension in the future.

2. Addiction to alcohol can lead to the development of cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart (heart muscle) that makes it harder for it to pump blood to the rest of the body. It can be caused by drinking too much alcohol over a long period of time. Eventually alcohol weakens and thins the heart muscle, affecting its ability to pump blood. If your heart loses the ability to pump blood properly, it can cause problems with basic bodily functions. In the long term, this can lead to heart failure and other life-threatening health problems.

3. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to cardiac arrhythmia

Heavy drinking can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, which is the most common type of irregular heartbeat. (According to the American Heart Association, binge drinking is five or more drinks in two hours for men and four or more drinks for women.) Some studies have shown that drinking one to three drinks a day can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. Symptoms of this condition include fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations. In the absence of adequate treatment, this can lead to serious complications.

4. Alcohol addiction can lead to a heart attack.

According to the American Heart Association, drinking too much alcohol can raise blood levels of fats called triglycerides. Elevated triglyceride levels, combined with high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, can potentially lead to accumulation of fat in the walls of the arteries, which in turn increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

5. Alcohol can be good for your health

But there is also a positive side to this story. Research data points to a link between red wine consumption and heart health. For example, according to a review published in the journal Circulation, drinking red wine may reduce the risk of dying from heart failure. Of course, even if you choose red wine, you still need to comply with the measure, as we have already mentioned above.

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