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January 26, 2005
Alcohol and Your Arteries
Ever wonder how cholesterol starts to build up? One of the first steps of heart disease is an injury to the wall of your blood vessel. This injury could occur from many things including high blood pressure, high blood sugars or smoking. The injury activates our immune system to send immune cells to that area. Inflamed areas on blood vessels happen to be a great place for cholesterol to accumulate. Alcohol has been shown to create an anti-inflammatory effect in our blood vessels. Red grapes used to make red wine contain antioxidants which also help keep our arteries healthy. Antioxidants try to fix injured areas of our blood vessels. For these reasons, moderate intake of alcohol in general and red wine has been linked to lower risks of heart disease. Moderate drinking is defined as 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men.
What counts as a drink?
12 oz of beer
5 oz of wine
1 ½ oz of liquor
**Note: If you do not currently drink alcohol, I do not recommend that you start. Certain people should not drink alcohol, such as those with liver problems, high triglycerides, abuse problems or who are taking medications. And remember, please drink responsibly!
Posted by Lisa at January 26, 2005 10:02 AM
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