Alcohol Bad for Your Heart

[marie]

Drinking too much alcohol can, over time, damage your heart and raise your blood pressure. If you drink alcohol, you should do so moderately.

For women, moderate drinking means one drink per day.
For men, it means two drinks per day.

One drink counts as:

• 5 ounces of wine
• 12 ounces of beer
• 1 and 1/2 ounces of 80-proof hard liquor

Research suggests that moderate drinkers are less likely to develop heart disease than people who don't drink any alcohol or who drink too much.

Red wine drinkers in particular seem to be protected to some degree against heart disease. Red wine contains flavonoids, which are thought to prevent plaque buildup. Flavonoids also are found in:

• Red grapes
• Berries
• Apples
• Broccoli

Drinking more than one drink per day increases the risks of certain cancers, including breast cancer. If you are pregnant, could become pregnant, or have another health condition that could make alcohol use harmful, you should not drink.

With the help of your doctor, decide whether moderate drinking to lower heart attack risk outweighs the possible increased risk of breast cancer or other medical problems.

Source: womenshealth.gov

[Anonymous Bot]