Why Alcohol and Metabolic Syndrome Don’t Mix
Drinking is not a good combo with high blood pressure, cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes
I’m a former nurse and recovering alcoholic, and my mission is to educate people about the effects of alcohol, mainly when alcohol is mixed with certain health conditions. Metabolic syndrome is a group of disorders that can lead to severe health outcomes.
These disorders are insulin resistance (pre-diabetes or diabetes), obesity, high triglycerides and cholesterol, and high blood pressure. The risks of metabolic syndrome are strokes, heart attacks, liver failure, kidney failure, diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurological complications.
Up until recently, the message was that mild alcohol intake may help with metabolic syndrome. And in the case of very light drinking (no more than 5 per week for either gender), this may be true. However, recent research shows that frequent and heavy alcohol use worsens metabolic syndrome and can lead to devastating outcomes like heart disease, liver damage, and out-of-control diabetes. Even moderate drinking may not be safe either.
Many people will pass off heavy alcohol use by saying, “well, I heard that wine is good for my heart.” This is not true. Heavy drinking is problematic for anyone, but it can be…
