A glass of wine with dinner. A beer while watching the game. A festive cocktail during the holidays.
For many people, alcohol feels like a normal part of life. But when it comes to your heart, what seems harmless can sometimes have lasting effects.
“Alcohol impacts nearly every system in your body, but the heart is especially sensitive,” says Boskey Patel, DO, an interventional cardiologist with the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute. “While an occasional drink may not cause harm for most people, regular or heavy drinking (two or more drinks per day for women, or three or more drinks per day for men) can raise your risk of serious heart problems.”
So before you reach for another drink, here are six ways alcohol affects your heart health, and why moderation really matters.
1. It raises your blood pressure
Because alcohol acts as a stimulant, drinking too much raises your blood pressure, both in the short and long term.
“High blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease, and alcohol can make it harder to keep it under control,” Dr. Patel notes. “This starts with as little as one drink per day.”
Even small increases in blood pressure over time put extra strain on your heart and blood vessels.
> Related: Your Heart Will Love These 6 Healthy Lunch Ideas
2. It weakens the heart muscle
Heavy or chronic drinking can lead to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a serious condition where the heart muscle becomes weaker.
“When your heart can’t pump efficiently, it increases your risk of heart failure and sudden cardiac death,” says Dr. Patel.
Symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling in the legs can develop gradually, and often go overlooked until the condition is advanced. Patients with a family history of heart failure or alcoholism are at the highest risk.
> Related: 7 Easy Ways to Protect Your Heart as You Age
3. It triggers irregular heart rhythms
If your heart always seems to pound during the holidays, stress might not be the only culprit.
“Even in people without heart disease, binge drinking can trigger atrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm that increases the risk of stroke and can weaken the heart muscle,” Dr. Patel cautions. “We have seen this in patients as young as 25 years old, especially during the holidays or episodes of binge drinking.”
And it only takes one night of heavy drinking to cause these issues with your heart rhythm.
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4. It increases the risk of stroke
That extra drink might do more than leave you with a headache the next morning. It could also raise your risk of stroke.
“Heavy or frequent drinking can increase blood pressure, which happens to be the number one risk factor for stroke,” says Dr. Patel
This is another important example of how alcohol affects your heart and blood vessels over time.
Keeping your alcohol intake moderate – or skipping it altogether – can go a long way in protecting your brain, not just your heart.
> Related: 4 Ways to Make Your Heart Stronger
5. It contributes to weight gain
It’s easy to forget that alcohol is loaded with empty calories and sugar.
“Excess weight from alcohol can raise the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, all of which are linked to heart disease,” Dr. Patel explains.
Cocktails with mixers, sweet wines and craft beers can pack more calories than many desserts.
> Related: Is Alcohol Giving Me Acid Reflux?
6. It interferes with medications
For people already managing heart conditions, alcohol can make things more complicated.
“Alcohol can interfere with common heart medications like blood thinners, blood pressure drugs and rhythm control medications, especially for patients who are over 65 and older,” says Dr. Patel.
This can either reduce the effectiveness of treatment or increase the risk of dangerous side effects.
> Related: How Stress Affects Your Heart
Don’t let drinking ruin your heart health
A drink here and there may not harm most people, but the key is moderation, and honesty about how much you’re really drinking.
“Talk with your doctor about your alcohol use and your personal risk factors,” Dr. Patel says. “For some people, especially those with pre-existing heart disease or those who are genetically predisposed to heart failure or addiction (especially a family history of alcoholism), the safest option may be to avoid alcohol altogether.”
Understanding how alcohol affects your heart can help you make smarter choices for your long-term health.
“You only get one heart. Help us to help you take care of it!”
