How Drinking Beer Affects Cholesterol

Beer is probably the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world. Although beer sometimes garners a bad reputation due to its alcohol content, it also contains a few surprisingly healthy ingredients.

Barley, one such ingredient that is used to make beer, contains polyphenols, which have been linked to lowering cholesterol levels and promoting heart health.

There are also some studies suggesting that, in modest amounts, alcoholic beverages such as beer may also be able to improve heart health. But can drinking beer also lower your cholesterol levels?

The Effect of Beer on Cholesterol and Triglycerides

There are not a lot of studies specifically examining how beer can affect your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Most studies include many types of alcoholic beverages to examine their effect on cholesterol, triglycerides, and heart health as a whole. In these studies, the type or brand of beer was not usually noted.

Studies have examined the consumption of beer products on lipids in amounts ranging from 60 to 340 mL daily for a duration between 4 and 6 weeks on average.

In some studies, people drinking at least one beer beverage a day saw an increase in healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels by up to 11%. Additionally, unhealthy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in some studies were lowered by up to 18%, although some other studies did not see a significant decrease in LDL.

One study showed that consuming one beer (about 340 mL) daily could reduce the oxidation of LDL. However, consumption of three or more beers daily actually promoted LDL oxidation. Studies have shown that oxidized LDL can promote inflammation of the inner lining of blood vessels and contribute to the formation of atherosclerosis, which leads to the development of cardiovascular disease.

Although there were some positive effects noted from drinking beer and other types of alcohol, there were also some negative effects: elevated triglyceride levels were also noted as consumption of beer increased. Having very high triglyceride levels is another risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.

Don't Drink Beer to Lower Cholesterol

It's possible that one beer a day might improve lipid profile and lower oxidation of LDL in some cases. Drinking three or more beers may adversely affect your lipid profile, heart health, and increase your risk of getting certain diseases, such as some types of cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke.

This trend has also been noted with other types of alcohol. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not drink too much beer—or any alcoholic beverage for that matter—if you are concerned about your heart health.

The World Health Organization has stated, based on recent studies, that no amount of alcohol intake is safe for health.

The American Heart Association recommends that if you do drink alcohol, males should limit to no more than one to two 12 ounce servings of beer daily, and females should limit to no more than 12 ounces of beer a day. Twelve ounces roughly equals 350 mL of beer. 

If you do not typically drink, the American Heart Association cautions that you should not start drinking beer—or any other alcohol—solely for the purpose of improving your heart health.