Recent studies have shown some benefit to cardiovascular health form drinking a glass of red wine each day. The key words there are “some” and “one”. Many people have taken this as a medical license to social drinking or drinking to excess. In reality, it just means that some bodies respond well to a glass of red wine.

Those same bodies respond equally well to a glass of grape juice. The ingredient in red wine that seems to be most closely linked to heart health and lowered cholesterol is retsinol, which is found in both dark grape juice and red wines. As with everything, moderation is the key to getting the benefits.

Too much alcohol can actually increase the LDL levels in your liver, causing fatty liver disease. It can also mess with the enzymes in your heart and cardiovascular system. Once alcohol starts interfering with the enzyme levels in the heart, the heart stops being able to contract properly.

If the heart stops contracting properly it affects your entire cardiovascular system. Your blood stops being able to get down deep into the muscles where it needs to be, staying close to the skin surface instead. One sign that you may have this problem occurring in milder form is varicose veins or spider veins. If you see the first signs, talk to your doctor about increasing your exercise.

Another problem with your cardiovascular system that alcohol makes worse is irregularities with your heart beat. If you have problems with palpitations or irregular heart beat of any kind, drinking alcohol in any amount makes it worse. If you stop drinking altogether, you will find that your symptoms decrease dramatically. In some cases they even go away completely.

Another major health issue arising from alcohol is the body refusing to absorb nutrients. For people who drink alcohol daily, even in just a social setting, your body no longer absorbs vitamins and minerals the same way. You can help the situation by adding supplements to your daily routine, and you should, especially calcium.

Even adding calcium and other supplements to your diet to counter the effects of alcohol isn’t the best solution. Your body won’t absorb their full effect as long as you continue drinking more than one drink a day or less. The best road to better heart health and lower cholesterol is to cut alcohol out of your diet altogether.

Often, that seems like a drastic measure. When you just have one or two drinks a day in a social setting, it doesn’t seem like you are drinking “too much” to you, but your body feels the effects. If you drink more than that each day, you may even have a harder time cutting back or quitting altogether. Your body has become more accustomed to your social drinks than you may realize. In that case, don’t be afraid to go to your doctor for help. Changing your habits could change, or save, your life.

Ldl Cholesterol | Medical Disclaimer |