Alcohol consumption is closely related to heart disease and can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.
Increases Heart Rate
Consuming alochol can temporarily increase your heart rate.
A heart rate over 100 beats per minute is a condition called tachycardia.
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Too many episodes of tachycardia can contribute to heart attack or stroke.
That may be different from your own definition of heavy drinking.
The symptoms include a racing heart, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
Oftentimes, these symptoms come on suddenly but also resolve suddenly on their own.
Over time, atrial fibrillation increases stroke risk substantially and can also lead to heart failure.
Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
Alcoholic cardiomyopathyis a condition that causes the heart muscle to become weaker.
That makes it more difficult for the muscle to pump blood, which can lead to heart failure.
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is usually associated with long-term, heavy drinking.
High Blood Pressure
Even healthy people will experience an increase in blood pressure after having a drink.
Over time, regular heavy drinking can contribute tohypertension, which increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Cardiovascular Disease
Overall, alcohol consumption substantially increases risk for all cardiovascular disease.
This is especially true for women.
For men, the impact was still significant.
Heavy drinkers were 22% more likely than moderate drinkers to develop heart disease.
Liver Disease
The liver is responsible for filtering alcohol from the blood.
Over time, heavy drinking increases your risk forliver disease,which can be fatal.
Cancer
Any drinking is associated with increased cancer risk, including risk for breast cancer.
Liver cancer and colon cancer are also associated with alcohol consumption.
Weight Gain
Heavy drinking isassociated with weight gainwhich can cause a person to develop obesity.
Is Alcohol Ever Beneficial to Your Health?
Who Should Not Drink?
If youre at increased risk for heart disease, talk with your healthcare provider about your alcohol consumption.
They can help you decide whats healthy and what aligns with your lifestyle.
People in heart failure or people on beta-blockers (used to treat hypertension)should not drink.
If you have an abnormal heart rhythm, talk with your healthcare provider before drinking.
Women are particularly susceptible to alcohol-related heart disease.
If youre concerned about alcohols impact on your health, talk with your healthcare provider.
Medications, therapy, and group support can help you decrease your alcohol consumption.
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Johns Hopkins Medicine.Alcohol and heart heart: Separating fact from fiction.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Alcohol use and your health.
Florida Heart Research Association.How alcohol affects your heart.
University of Alabama Birmingham.Holiday heart syndrome: What is it?
How can you prevent it?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cardiomyopathy.
