How much alcohol is too much?

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans , it’s safest to limit alcohol to 2 or fewer drinks a day for men, and 1 or fewer drinks a day for women. A “standard drink” is defined as: 12 oz of regular beer 5 oz of wine 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits If you think you may have a problem with your drinking, help is available. Contact your primary care physician or access resources like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ).

Does Alcohol Raise Cholesterol?

Key takeaways:

Light to moderate alcohol use may raise HDL (high-density lipoprotein) known as “good” cholesterol. But the risks of drinking outweigh any potential benefits.
Heavier alcohol use increases triglycerides and may also raise LDL (low-density lipoprotein), known as “bad” cholesterol, in some people. This raises the risk of heart disease and other health issues.
To limit alcohol-related problems, including heart disease, women should have no more than 1 drink per day, and men should have no more than 2 drinks per day.

You may have heard that having a glass or two of wine a day is good for your health. But is this really true? At one point, it appeared that regular alcohol use of any type could be beneficial to your health. These claims were partly based on studies finding that low doses of alcohol may raise your levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), known as “good” cholesterol.

But the research has become clear that any amount of alcohol may be harmful. In 2022, the World Heart Federation cautioned that no amount of alcohol is safe for your health. That’s especially true if you have heart disease or other chronic health conditions.

Heavy alcohol use isn’t good for your heart. It can lead to heart conditions like high blood pressure, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. But how about your cholesterol and lipid profile? Let’s take a closer look below.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s a natural part of all cells and organs in your body. It comes mainly from your liver and the foods you eat. And it helps your body make many things, like hormones and vitamin D.

The main types of cholesterol are:

LDL (low-density lipoprotein): This is the “bad” type of cholesterol. High levels of LDL can build up in your arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
HDL (high-density lipoprotein): This is the “good” type of cholesterol. It helps your body to remove LDL.

Total cholesterol is the total amount of cholesterol in your blood. That includes HDL, LDL, and some other particles, including VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein), which carries triglycerides. Triglycerides are another type of fat in the blood. Your body uses triglycerides for energy between meals.

Cholesterol and triglyceride levels are measured by testing your blood lipid profile. This can be done in a healthcare professional’s office or with special at-home tests.

Does alcohol affect cholesterol?

Yes, alcohol affects cholesterol. But exactly how alcohol affects your cholesterol levels is complicated. It depends on several factors, including your genetics and drinking patterns.

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

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Does alcohol raise your blood pressure? Yes, alcohol can have significant effects on your blood pressure. And it can interact with your blood pressure medications.
Alcohol and statins: If you take a statin, here are some things you need to know before drinking alcohol.

To simplify this, let’s break it down by what alcohol does to cholesterol based on how much you drink.

Light to moderate alcohol use

There’s some evidence that light to moderate use of alcohol may actually improve (increase) your HDL cholesterol numbers. “Light to moderate” alcohol use is defined as:

Fewer than 14 alcoholic drinks per week for men
Fewer than 7 drinks per week for women

Heavy alcohol use

Heavy alcohol use means more than 14 drinks per week for a man and 7 drinks per week for a woman. And, as your alcohol use increases, so does your risk for heart disease.

Heavy drinking is linked to higher triglyceride levels. High triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease. And very high levels (over 500) can also put you at risk for pancreatitis.

The effects of alcohol on LDL cholesterol can vary. For some people, it can also raise LDL cholesterol. Other times it might lower LDL a little. But, even when LDL levels don’t change, alcohol can still make your LDL cholesterol more harmful. It does this by altering the size of these particles, making them more likely to damage your arteries.

Heavy alcohol use can also harm your heart by:

Raising your blood pressure
Putting you at risk for atrial fibrillation
Weakening the heart muscle (which can lead to heart failure)
Increasing your chances of diabetes (which is a risk factor for heart disease)

How much can alcohol raise cholesterol?

There aren’t a lot of studies on how much alcohol can raise cholesterol. This is likely because it varies from person to person. It can depend on several factors, including your liver function. Your liver enzymes may vary based on your genetics. Your genetics can affect how you process both alcohol and cholesterol. The same goes for triglycerides. Everyone responds a little differently — and the impact on triglyceride levels can also vary.

But keep in mind that alcohol is often consumed with sugary mixers and starchy snacks. Your body is more likely to store those added calories in the form of triglycerides. So, if you’re sipping cocktails or eating bar food with your drinks, your triglycerides may be impacted even more.

Will alcohol interfere with my cholesterol medications?

Statins are commonly prescribed drugs for cholesterol. Statins include medications like atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin.

Both alcohol and statins are processed by the liver. If you’re on a statin, your healthcare team will order regular blood tests for your liver. For some people, statins can affect the liver enzymes. (Most of the time, those changes go away when the drug is stopped.) But, for most light drinkers with normal liver function, statins won’t cause a problem.

Heavy alcohol use is a different situation. That’s because it can cause liver disease, including cirrhosis. That’s why statins should be used with caution if you drink heavily. But there’s some evidence that statins may actually protect the liver in people with cirrhosis. This is a situation that requires careful monitoring, so check with your healthcare team for personalized care.

Keep in mind that many other common medications can interact with alcohol. So, it’s a good idea to be open with your healthcare team about your alcohol use. That way they can recommend options that are safe for you.

What type of alcohol causes high cholesterol?

There’s no good evidence that the type of alcohol you drink matters much when it comes to its effects on your cholesterol. Wine, beer, and liquor all have similar effects. It’s the amount of alcohol and how often you drink that have the most impact.

Does red wine lower cholesterol?

Red wine doesn’t lower LDL cholesterol, but it can raise HDL. However, this appears to be due to the effect of alcohol itself, and not wine specifically.

Certain plant-based antioxidants found in red wine, like resveratrol, may be beneficial for your heart. But you can also get these from foods like red grapes, berries, and peanuts. That’s one reason why the American Heart Association advises against drinking alcohol to try to improve your health.

Frequently asked questions

Cutting out alcohol won’t usually lower your cholesterol, but it may improve your triglyceride levels. In some cases, LDL cholesterol may rise slightly when you quit drinking. You can offset that by improving your nutrition and exercising.

It’s also important to know that alcohol can make LDL particles smaller and denser. That means that the LDL is more dangerous and more likely to clog arteries. So, quitting or cutting back may help to reduce this risk.

Some studies have suggested that light to moderate alcohol use may have a protective effect on the heart by raising HDL. But newer research questions this benefit. Any potential advantage is small and not a reason to start drinking if you don’t already.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it’s safest to limit alcohol to 2 or fewer drinks a day for men, and 1 or fewer drinks a day for women. A “standard drink” is defined as:

12 oz of regular beer
5 oz of wine
1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits

If you think you may have a problem with your drinking, help is available. Contact your primary care physician or access resources like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The bottom line

Alcohol can affect your lipids in several different ways. Though it might slightly raise your HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or “good” cholesterol, alcohol often increases triglycerides. It may also make your LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or “bad” cholesterol, more dangerous. The latest research suggests that any amount of alcohol may be harmful. That’s because it raises your chances of cancer, heart disease, and other complications. Even small changes in your drinking habits, along with healthy nutrition and exercise, can make a difference.

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Written by:

Sarah A. Samaan, MD

Sarah Samaan, MD, FACC, FACP, FASE is a board-certified cardiologist who practiced clinical cardiology for nearly 30 years. She is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians, among others.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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