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Wine and heart health

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Health and wine
Wine and heart disease
Preventing heart disease - wine
Preventing heart disease - alcohol

Studies have shown that adults who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol may be less likely to develop heart disease than those who do not drink at all or are heavy drinkers. However, people who do not drink alcohol should not start just because they want to avoid developing heart disease.

Information

There is a fine line between healthy drinking and risky drinking. Do not begin drinking or drink more often just to lower your risk of heart disease. Heavier drinking can harm the heart and liver. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people who abuse alcohol.

Health care providers recommend that if you drink alcohol, drink only light to moderate amounts:

  • For men, limit alcohol to 1 to 2 drinks a day.
  • For women, limit alcohol to 1 drink a day.

One drink is defined as:

  • 4 ounces (118 milliliters, mL) of wine
  • 12 ounces (355 mL) of beer
  • 1 1/2 ounces (44 mL) of 80-proof spirits
  • 1 ounce (30 mL) of 100-proof spirits

Though research has found that alcohol use may be associated with a lower chance of heart disease, much more effective ways to prevent heart disease include:

Anyone who has heart disease or heart failure should talk to their provider before drinking alcohol. Alcohol can make heart failure and other heart problems worse.

Review Date: 5/12/2022

Reviewed By

Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

References

Kloner RA, Rezkalla S. Cardiomyopathies induced by drugs or toxins. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine.12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 84.

Mozaffarian D. Nutrition and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine.12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 29.

Snetselaar LG, de Jesus JM, DeSilva DM, Stoody EE. Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025: understanding the scientific process, guidelines, and key recommendations. Nutr Today. 2021;56(6):287-295. PMID: 34987271 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34987271/.

Disclaimer

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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Wine and health

The United States Dietary Guidelines recommend that if you drink, do so in moderation and when consumption does not put you or others at risk.

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Wine and health - Illustration Thumbnail

Wine and health

The United States Dietary Guidelines recommend that if you drink, do so in moderation and when consumption does not put you or others at risk.

Illustration

 
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