Did you know that healthy cholesterol levels can change a little by age?

They also differ by gender ― women usually have lower cholesterol readings than men, but this can change after menopause, which causes some peoples’ levels to skyrocket. 

And while most of us know that fatty foods, smoking, and staying inactive can also put your cholesterol levels outside of the healthy range, I for one wasn’t aware how much of an effect booze can have on the metric. 

According to cholesterol charity Heart UK, alcohol’s better-known toll on your liver can have knock-on effects on your heart.

How does alcohol affect cholesterol?

When we drink alcohol, it gets broken down into triglycerides (a type of fat) and cholesterol in our body. 

Triglycerides can settle in our liver, which causes fatty liver if it happens too often. 

In that case, Heart UK says your liver stops being as good at removing cholesterol from your system as it should be. That leads to higher cholesterol levels. 

“Alcohol can lead to the combination of a high triglyceride level along with low HDL cholesterol,” they add, which may cause heart disease. 

Over time, drinking a lot of alcohol can lead to high blood pressure too (this is sometimes referred to as a “silent killer” because it’s linked to heart health issues like cardiac arrest and stroke, but shows few symptoms). 

Drinkaware adds that you can even develop a condition called ‘Holiday Heart Syndrome’, when you experience an irregular heartbeat following a period of binge drinking.

How much should I drink to prevent heart issues?

The Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines read: “to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.”

If you do go over those limits, it’s better to do so over three or more days, they advise.

Help and support:

• Drinkline ― call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9 am to 8 pm, weekends 11 am to 4 pm).
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) ― available online and in-person
• Al-Anon Family Groups offer support and understanding to the families and friends of problem drinkers. Alateen is part of Al-Anon and can be attended by 12 to 17-year-olds who are affected by another person’s drinking.
• We Are With You is a UK-wide treatment agency that helps individuals, families and communities manage the effects of drug and alcohol misuse.
• Adfam is a national charity working with families affected by drugs and alcohol. Adfam operates an online message board and local support groups.
• The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) provides a free, confidential telephone and email helpline for children of alcohol-dependent parents and others concerned about their welfare. Call 0800 358 3456 for the Nacoa helpline.
• SMART Recovery groups help people decide whether they have a problem, build up their motivation to change, and offer a set of proven tools and techniques to support recovery.