Drinking beer with high cholesterol, is it dangerous or not?

You may have heard that drinking beer in moderation is actually good for health. However, what if you have high cholesterol levels? Can drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages increase blood cholesterol levels? Immediately the answer is below, yes.

What is the high cholesterol level?

When you check cholesterol levels, there are three things that must be considered. The first is good cholesterol (HDL). In adults, good cholesterol levels should ideally be above 60 mg / dL. Meanwhile, your bad cholesterol (LDL) level should be below 100 mg / dL. The third is triglycerides. Normal triglyceride levels are below 150 mg / dL.

Normal total cholesterol, which is a combination of HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, should be no more than 200 mg / dL. So cholesterol levels above 240 mg / dL include high cholesterol.

Cholesterol that is too high makes you more susceptible to coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Can you drink beer if you have high cholesterol?

Beer is made from a mixture of fermented wheat, yeast and hops. This fermentation process produces alcohol. Beer itself contains no cholesterol.

However, beer still contains carbohydrates and alcohol. These two ingredients can cause an increase in triglyceride levels in the blood. Meanwhile, high triglyceride levels can make your total cholesterol rise. This can increase the risk of various complications of high cholesterol such as heart disease.

So, before you consume beer, you should first consult with your doctor which foods and drinks are high cholesterol restrictions and which can still be consumed on a limited basis.

If you lead a healthy lifestyle and a disciplined high cholesterol diet, your doctor may let you drink beer moderately. Try not to drink excessively. Limit it to 350 ml or one and a half cups at a time.

Can drinking wine make cholesterol rise?

Unlike beer, wine is made from fermented red or white wine. Well, wine also does not contain cholesterol. This alcoholic drink is touted as the safest drink for people with high cholesterol.

Red wine or red wine is rich in antioxidants and contains resveratrol compounds which are good for heart health. Resveratrol is able to increase good cholesterol (HDL) levels as well as lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

However, like beer, wine still contains sugar and alcohol. Both can increase triglyceride levels and total cholesterol in the blood. We recommend that you limit your consumption of wine to just 120-200 ml a day.

What about other liquor?

Other liquors like vodka, gin, whiskey and sake also contain no cholesterol. However, the rules are the same as for drinking beer and wine. Too often and too often drinking alcoholic drinks can still make your cholesterol levels rise.

Especially now that a lot of vodka, whiskey, or other alcoholic drinks have been mixed with flavorings and added sugar. The higher the sugar content, the more likely it is that triglycerides will rise. In addition, frequent consumption of sugary drinks can also increase the risk of being overweight to obesity. These two risks will certainly affect cholesterol levels in the blood.

In essence, people with high cholesterol levels can still consume alcoholic beverages. However, remember to drink moderately, not too often, and avoid alcoholic drinks that are flavored or artificially sweetened. You must also be diligent in checking cholesterol levels to monitor and control symptoms.

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