7 Steps to Lower Cholesterol Naturally: Step 5 Limit Alcohol Intake

By HelloLife

As discussed in the introduction of this seven-part series, there are seven easy steps to lower cholesterol naturally. In this, Step 5, we will discuss why you should limit alcohol intake.

Step 5: Limit Alcohol Intake

Ethanol, the main ingredient in alcohol, affects the brain, coagulation, concentration, coordination, gallbladder, heart, inflammation, insulin, lipid levels, liver, mood alterations, and the stomach. And each person who drinks alcohol experiences different responses. Excessive alcohol consumption is just one cause of high triglyceride levels. When you have high cholesterol, excessive alcohol increases your risk for cardiovascular disease. Alcohol also increases the plasma triglyceride levels. Increased alcohol consumption increases the risk for alcoholism, cancers, depression, hypertension, liver damage, obesity, stroke, suicide, and violence. Because these risks are so devastating, the American heart Associations recommends careful moderation, if you must drink.

Alcohol is the cause of almost half of all fatal traffic accidents. Caution should be given, too, when it comes to alcohol consumption when a person is on statin prescription drugs to manage their cholesterol levels. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. Protein and carbohydrates contain a mere 4 calories per gram. Alcohol metabolizes as fat and is high in calories. Extra weight is another risk factor high cholesterol levels.

What's a proper serving of an alcoholic drink? One serving equals a 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce of distilled spirits. Each serving contains 15 grams of alcohol. Some resources aver moderate alcohol consumption actually helps to lower or maintain cholesterol levels. The debate enters because the risk of too much alcohol isn't worth the potential health risks. The recommendation is alcohol consumption isn't suggested for those who do not drink. The risks outweigh the supposed benefits. The benefits begin to subside after just seven drinks a week.

The kind of alcohol is a consideration during this debate. It seems wine drinkers tend to be less fat, eat less, exercise more, and drink only with meals. Beer drinkers tend to eat the fattening foods, eat more, exercise less, and drink between meals. This debate exists because there are some healthy properties in alcohol. For instance, red wine contains flavonoids (they prevent the oxidation of lipoprotein), antioxidants, and polyphenol compounds. Dark beer contains flavonoids. Proponents on both sides must agree that alcohol can be a poison and a tonic. At best, this debate is a balancing act. While some may hate to admit the potential medicinal benefits of alcohol, they may have to admit they do exist; however, so do these startling statistics: there are 14 million Americans who are labeled as alcoholics, alcohol is blamed in one out of every four violent acts, more than 16,000 people die each year in accidents where alcohol is a factor, and more than $180 billion dollars is spent each year in alcohol abuse related costs.