You may think the occasional alcoholic drink won’t harm your health, however, drinking more than the recommended limit can increase your risk for high blood pressure, obesity, liver disease, pancreatitis, weakened immune systems, breast cancer in women, and stroke.
What are the cardiovascular risks associated with binge drinking alcohol?
Many studies have shown that drinking too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes or even stroke. The American Heart Association recommends no more than one to two drinks per day for healthy men and one drink per day for healthy, nonpregnant women. A drink is defined as 12 oz. of beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.
Can red wine be healthy for your heart?
According to Harvard Health, there’s still no clear evidence that red wine is better than other forms of alcohol when it comes to possible heart-healthy benefits, despite popular mythology on this subject. Studies that show signs of possible linkage may be caused by other lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise. The health effects of alcohol have only been observational and never been tested in a long-term trial.
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