Alcohol and cardiovascular disease

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure and weight, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Weight gain

Alcohol contains a lot of hidden calories and sugar so it can be a cause of weight gain, which is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It can be surprising how many calories are in alcohol, for example, a pint of lager is equivalent to a slice of pizza.

Below you can see the calorie content for a range of alcoholic drinks:

How does alcohol affect my heart?

There is a very clear link between drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis and having high blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure (hypertension) puts strain on the heart muscle and can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Insulin resistance

Drinking too much alcohol can reduce your body’s sensitivity to insulin which means that it doesn’t break down sugar as well as it should. This will result in higher blood glucose levels, which over time can lead to type 2 diabetes which in turn can lead to cardiovascular disease.

Alcohol makes you feel worse over time

Some people think a few drinks will cheer them up, but alcohol can only make you feel worse over time because it is a “depressant”. Most alcohol and some drugs affect the part of the brain that makes us feel low.

One of the best things you can do for your body to help with stress is to move more. It’s a fact that physical activity helps improve health in many ways, and reduces risk of developing heart disease.

Talking to others also helps with stress. You should talk to your healthcare team about how you're feeling because it’s part of the care you should be offered. North West London also offers talking therapies to support you.

Or you might prefer to talk to someone close to you, like a friend or family member: it’s good to talk, and it’s ok not to be ok.