Have heart for your heart

Not drinking -or very moderately- is good for your heart. If you don't drink or consume small amounts of alcohol, your risk of heart disease decreases. But if you drink too much alcohol, this risk increases. Because this possible adverse effect does not immediately occur to you when you think about the dangers of drinking too much alcohol, you can read in this article why the break period also has a positive effect on your heart.

We are not telling anything new when we say that alcohol is a poisonous substance. But did you also know that (excessive) drinking of alcohol can affect the muscle cells in the heart? Consistently drinking too much can lead to a severely weakened heart muscle, also known as a cardiomyopathy. This means that your heart muscle is slackened, weaker and less able to pump vigorously. The only thing that helps is to stop drinking immediately (source: hartwijzer.nl).

Vitamin deficiency

Excessive drinking can lead not only to heart disease, but also to poor eating habits. Drinking alcohol reduces your need for food. This leads to a shortage of important substances in the long term. Vitamin B1 and electrolytes (particles that are important for the stimulus conduction system) are examples of this. Deficiency of these substances can lead to cardiac arrhythmias (source: hartwijzer.nl).

High bloodpressure

Alcohol increases the risk of high blood pressure. With high blood pressure, your blood vessels are constantly under high pressure. Your blood vessels become narrower and the risk of a heart attack or stroke increases. With high blood pressure, the heart has to work harder and harder to pump blood. Your heart muscle then becomes thicker and stiffer (source: hartstichting.nl).

Cholesterol Level

Alcohol has an unfavorable effect on fats and LDL cholesterol in the blood. High cholesterol can lead to arteriosclerosis. Most cardiovascular diseases are caused by arteriosclerosis. High cholesterol is therefore a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Organs (such as the heart or brain) receive less oxygen as a result (source: hartstichting.nl).