Is Beer Bad For Cholesterol? – Here’s The Answer!

Drinking a glass of wine or a glass of beer makes everything better. Sometimes you need to take a break from the hustle-bustle life and enjoy every sip of your favorite drinks. But what if you have cholesterol? Is it reasonable to consume alcohol with high cholesterol? You may have heard that a glass of red wine can reduce your heart disease.is it true? Read the entire article to understand the relationship between cholesterol and alcohol and the role of beer in raising cholesterol levels.

What Is Cholesterol?

As you all know familiar with the definition, cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in the natural part of all cells in the body. Cholesterol is an essential component of the body. It helps to make certain hormones, vitamins D, etc. Cholesterol plays a vital role in the digestive process. Cholesterol can not be considered a harmful thing. An adequate amount of cholesterol is needed. Cholesterol types are divided into three types. They are,

• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol(this type of cholesterol is good for heart- health)
• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (this type of cholesterol is harmful to health)
• Triglyceride (the most common type of fat in the body)

A blood test can determine the amount of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides separately. The total cholesterol level is the total amount of these three types of cholesterol.

What Do You Mean By High Cholesterol?

High cholesterol is a condition of excessive lipid deposits in the bloodstream. It can occur due to various reasons. If a person’s blood cholesterol is higher than 200 mg/dl, it indicates the person is diagnosed with high cholesterol. High cholesterol affects cardiovascular health. The excessive fat deposits in the arteries form a blockage and cause difficulty in pumping blood through that area. It ultimately leads to heart attack, stroke, etc. 

Does Alcohol Boost Cholesterol Levels?

As aforementioned., there are a lot of factors that influence to raise your cholesterol level. Alcohol is one of the key elements that help to rise the amount of HDL cholesterol. But it also affects your cholesterol level complicated. The complications depend on several factors such as age, gender, and drinking patterns. 

Light To Moderate Level Alcohol Consumption

There is some evidence that supports light to moderate levels of alcohol consumption. It doesn’t affect your cholesterol level. It helps to boost the amount of good cholesterol. Males can consume less than 14 alcoholic drinks per week. Moderate level of alcohol consumption for females considered less than seven drinks per week. 

The high-level HDL cholesterol lowers the number of cholesterol deposits and inflammation in the arteries. It helps improve your heart health. According to The American Heart Association, no research has proven the benefits of alcohol for better heart health. The organization suggests that avoiding alcohol from your life is always the best choice. You can improve the amount of HDL cholesterol by following proper exercises, and a heart-healthy diet.

Heavy Alcohol Consumption

Heavy alcohol consumption affects cholesterol levels. It increases the amount of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride that ultimately results in heart diseases and other health issues. Drinking too much alcohol also raises blood pressure, contributes to obesity, and also increases the level of triglycerides in the blood. Excessive drinking leads to an increased risk of some cancers and cirrhosis of the liver. Because drinking alcohol too much can slow the functions of the liver and result in various health problems. 

If you are planning to drink, talk with your doctor and he will suggest your drinking patterns. Moderate level of alcohol consumption doesn’t cause any issues. But people with high cholesterol, pregnant women, and those who take certain medicines regularly should avoid alcohol for their healthy bodies.

How Does Beer Affect Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is produced in the liver. The liver produces only a small amount of cholesterol for performing various roles. The rest comes from your food consumption.  When it comes to alcohol, in particular beer, it is considered the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world. But beer has a bad reputation due to its alcoholic content. It can rise the number of triglycerides in the blood. Beer contains carbohydrates and alcohol.

Both substances can change the triglyceride level in your body. People who are more sensitive to the effects of beer can experience a high level of triglycerides and a slightly high number of LDL cholesterol as well. As you all know the number of triglycerides contributes to the total cholesterol count. An increase in triglyceride levels will reflect in the count of total cholesterol. An ideal amount of triglyceride should be below 150 mg/dl.

Some studies show that consuming one beer of about 340 mL can reduce the oxidation of LDL. However, drinking three or four glasses can affect LDL oxidation. The oxidized LDL can promote the inflammation of the inner lining of blood vessels which contributes to the formation of atherosclerosis. If there’s too much cholesterol in the blood forms cholesterol plaque and deposits on artery walls. The plaques make the artery become narrowed. Ultimately it leads to cardiovascular diseases.

Is Beer Provide Any Health Benefits?

Compared to other alcoholic drinks, beer is more nutritious and provides health benefits. Moderate level of beer consumption improves your HDL cholesterol and also protects your heart health. Beer contains an abundance of antioxidants. It is also high in protein, vitamin B, iron, fiber, and phosphates. Beer is beneficial for preventing kidney stones. A moderate level of beer drinking can reduce the risk of developing a stone by 41 percent. According to the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, beer contains a lot of hops that are rich in kidney health-promoting phytochemicals.

A moderate level of beer consumption decreases bad cholesterol. The soluble fiber in beer can help to reduce LDL cholesterol. It can promote healthy blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels. In addition, beer helps to strengthen your bones, reduce stress, improve memory, and help in cognitive function. But all these benefits may effective if you drink this alcohol at a moderate level.

Final Take

No scientific researches prove that alcohol is good for heart health. A moderate level of consumption may effective, but that’s not encouraged by any health organization. When it comes to cholesterol, using alcohol for improving the amount of HDL is not a good choice. It may lead to addiction and excessive use causes several risk factors. If you are planning to consume any drinks, talk with your doctor to know the current status of your body. He can suggest whether your body is in a good condition for taking a glass of beer or not.