We may get used to hearing about the dangers of alcohol abuse. However, it is important not to get complacent when you hear about the ways that alcohol can impact your health, or else you may become numb to the truth of the situation. While more and more people are becoming knowledgeable about the cardiovascular danger of long-term alcohol abuse, not enough is being discussed about how the short term effects of immediate alcohol intake. Here is some more information about the effects on your heart that drinking alcohol can have…
The effects are for immediate use
While drinking a moderate amount of alcohol, every now and then, is nowhere near as dangerous or impactful as the full effects of alcoholism, there are still health concerns in such moderation. Contrary to what many people think, even moderate alcohol use can have an immediate impact on your heart. If an individual partakes of two drinks within a 24 hour period, it causes an increase in their blood pressure, which makes the heart work extra hard to stabilize the body. Coupled with other health issues, this can dramatically raise the chances of suffering a stroke or a heart attack.
Moderate drinking can double the risk of heart attacks and strokes
As stated above, moderately drinking, classified as approximately two drinks within a day, has a negative impact on the health of your heart. However, what is absolutely shocking is just how drastic these effects can be. For example a recent study by researchers at Harvard University showed that, after two drinks, the risk of having a heart attack increases by almost 200% within the following hour. These statistics are same for the chances of having a stroke, as well. Despite this rise, the risk will decrease as each hour goes on, unless more drinking continues to happen.
Very slight moderate consumption won’t have this effect
It is important to note that, scientifically, there have been other studies that have shown that light alcohol consumption (between 1/2 and 1 drink per day, or 3 and 5 drinks per week) can actually have a positive impact on cardiovascular health. This is because the slightest bit of alcohol can help improve your metabolism and control your cholesterol. However, it is not necessarily a recommended method to try out, as the effects of abusing alcohol can be devastating, and there are many other healthy methods to improve cardiovascular health.