For example, females are much more sensitive to the effects of alcohol because they have lower levels of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol (15). Alcohol intake affects cholesterol levels differently depending on the level and frequency of intake. This is because statins can affect your liver, and this is more likely to cause serious problems if you already have a damaged liver.
- More contemporary studies have not found evidence of mitochondrial injury in biopsy samples from long-term alcohol drinkers (MirĂł et al. 2000).
- According to the official package insert approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Lipitor should be used with caution in patients who consume substantial quantities of alcohol and/or have a history of liver disease.
- But more research is needed to determine whether CoQ10 may be effective for this use.
- On the other hand, heavy and binge alcohol consumption should be categorically discouraged without any exception or pretext.
- Some investigators have suggested that drinking wine may offer more protection against CV disease because it contains polyphenols, such as resveratrol and flavonoids, which are micronutrients with antioxidant activity (Tangney and Rasmussen 2013).
- Ethanol-mediated increases in autophagy therefore may be an important mechanism underlying the adverse myocardial effects of ethanol.
Interactions
However, and besides the drinking category, it is extremely important to consider that subjects in the non-drinker’s category (i.e, teetotalers) generally comprise both never drinkers and ex-drinkers (i.e., sick-quitters). Former drinkers may have ceased alcohol consumption because of serious or chronic illness, previous alcohol abuse, prodromal symptoms before clinical manifestations of major events, and/or because of prescription medications incompatible with alcohol consumption. While light to moderate alcohol intake isn’t usually harmful, heavy alcohol use can cause severe effects. In fact, heavy alcohol use is one of the leading risk factors for disease burden worldwide, increasing the risk of certain cancers, liver disease, and heart disease (3). Can you really toast to your health with a daily glass of red wine or a beer?
Types of Drug Interactions With Alcohol
Before taking statins, it is important to talk with a A Complete Guide To Ketamine Withdrawal & Addiction doctor about alcohol consumption habits and how much alcohol is safe to drink. It’s not uncommon to have abnormal liver function tests when taking Lipitor, but there are other considerations when looking at the effects of statins on the liver. According to the official package insert approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Lipitor should be used with caution in patients who consume substantial quantities of alcohol and/or have a history of liver disease. They stabilize and reduce the size of the coronary artery plaques that can lead to heart attacks, the leading cause of death in the U.S. before cancer. Prescription drugs all come with side effects, or the risk of side effects. With statins, the lengthy list of side effects may cause some people to question whether it’s worth the trade-off.
Combining Alcohol and Lipitor
With your doctor’s OK, work up to at least 30 minutes of exercise five times a week or vigorous aerobic activity for 20 minutes three times a week. Much of the alcohol that flows into your system after tipping back a glass finds its way to your liver for a digestive after-party. Alcohol is broken down in your liver and reconstructed as cholesterol and triglycerides. HDL protects heart health because it collects excess cholesterol and transports it to your liver, where it can be removed or recycled. If you’re taking statins and need to take one of these medicines, a doctor may prescribe an alternative statin or your current statin at a lower dosage.
Depending on your intake, alcohol may either positively or negatively affect cholesterol levels and other measures of heart health. Heavy drinking is consistently tied to negative health outcomes, including high LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure (7, 8, 9, 10). Taking diltiazem with Lipitor can increase your risk of side effects from Lipitor.
More on Cholesterol Management
Light to moderate alcohol intake is unlikely to harm cholesterol levels, but heavy drinking can. If you’re concerned that your drinking is damaging your health, consult a healthcare professional. Medications prescribed to lower cholesterol levels (known as statins) can cause flushing, itching, stomach bleeding, and liver damage.
However, compared to beer or spirits drinkers, wine drinkers showed no differences in the risk of MACE, although a reduced mortality trend was observed 101. One common risk factor for CV disease is the composition of the lipids found in the blood, and the effects of alcohol consumption on lipid profiles have been extensively studied. Many researchers have found that alcohol intake increases HDL cholesterol (HDL-c) levels, HDL (“good cholesterol”) particle concentration, apolipoprotein A-I, and HDL-c subfractions (Gardner et al. 2000; Muth et al. 2010; Vu et al. 2016).
The way in which alcohol consumption has been measured and categorized varies, sometimes making it challenging to compare data among studies. More studies today report alcohol consumption in terms of either “drinks” or grams/units of ethanol per day or week, and alcohol consumption is measured by self-report. Most investigators also define the amount of alcohol that constitutes a “standard” drink as 12 to 15 g (with only slight variation).
For example, certain levels of alcohol consumption that lower risk for CHD may increase it for other CV conditions, such as stroke. In addition, data from studies using new research methods, including Mendelian randomization, suggest that the relationship between low-to-moderate alcohol consumption and cardioprotection merits more critical appraisal (Holmes et al. 2014). Long-term heavy alcohol consumption induces adverse histological, cellular, and structural changes within the myocardium.