If you have high cholesterol, you can generally drink alcohol only in strict moderation after consulting with your doctor. Excessive alcohol consumption can worsen your cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and other serious health issues.
So, drinking alcohol raises the triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood. If your triglyceride levels become too high, they can build up in the liver, causing fatty liver disease. The liver can't work as well as it should and can't remove cholesterol from your blood, so your cholesterol levels rise.
Try to limit sugary drinks such as soft drink, cordial, fruit drinks, sports drinks and energy drinks. The less alcohol you drink the lower your risk of harm from alcohol. Healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
Cutting down on alcohol will help your liver to work better at removing bad cholesterol. It may also improve your heart health in other ways by helping you lose weight and lower your blood pressure. Our top tips for drinking less alcohol are to: try alcohol-free drinks like mocktails and alcohol-free beer.
In moderate amounts, red wine is commonly linked to healthy cholesterol levels. But drinking more hard liquor, beer, mixed drinks, and excess red wine has a negative impact on your cholesterol levels. When it comes to a healthier alcohol, red wine is top of the list.
To remove cholesterol from your body, adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats (like olive oil, nuts, and fish) while reducing saturated/trans fats (fatty meats, fried foods, baked goods) and sugar; get regular exercise (30 mins most days); quit smoking; maintain a healthy weight; and limit alcohol, as these changes boost good HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol, with medication sometimes needed for stubborn cases.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins, when mixed with excessive alcohol, may elevate triglyceride levels, worsen muscle side effects and possibly lead to liver damage. Talk to your doctor first if you have more than 1 to 2 alcoholic drinks daily and you take a statin.
Exercise on most days of the week and increase your physical activity. Exercise can improve cholesterol. Moderate physical activity can help raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol.
Within three weeks of being alcohol free, your blood pressure will likely lower, and your general cardiovascular health will improve.
High cholesterol often has no symptoms, but when it causes problems, warning signs include chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness or coldness in limbs, unexplained fatigue, dizziness, headaches, leg pain/cramps, yellowish skin deposits (xanthomas), a grey ring around the iris (corneal arcus), and slow-healing sores/ulcers on feet, indicating poor circulation. These signs often point to related conditions like Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or heart issues from plaque buildup, but the only sure way to know is a blood test.
The healthiest alcoholic drinks are generally red wine, clear spirits (vodka, gin, tequila) mixed with soda water, and hard seltzers, chosen for their lower sugar/carb content and potential antioxidants (in wine). The key is moderation and avoiding sugary mixers; simple, less-processed options are best, but remember no alcohol is truly "healthy," and excessive consumption is harmful.
The worst foods for cholesterol are those high in saturated fats and trans fats, primarily fatty red/processed meats, full-fat dairy, fried foods, and many commercially baked goods (cakes, pastries, cookies) and sweets, as they raise "bad" LDL cholesterol. Tropical oils (coconut, palm) and ultra-processed foods are also significant contributors, so focus on limiting these for better heart health.
Moderation Is Key
In studies examining coffee's impact on cholesterol, people who experienced increased cholesterol levels were those who drank about five cups or more each day. So, moderation can also be important.
Lack of physical activity is linked to a higher risk of having unhealthy blood cholesterol levels. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol, particularly in women, and raises LDL cholesterol. Stress may raise levels of certain hormones, such as corticosteroids. These can cause your body to make more cholesterol.
But antioxidants in red wine may increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also called the "good" cholesterol, and protect against cholesterol buildup. Experts say not to start drinking alcohol to help your heart.
Instead of saturated fats, switch to foods with healthier fats, such as lean meat, nuts, and unsaturated oils like canola, olive, and safflower oils. Limit foods with cholesterol. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, you should have less than 200 mg a day of cholesterol.
A recent study, published in JAMA Network Open in March 2025, examined how changes in alcohol consumption affect cholesterol levels. Researchers analyzed over 57,000 adults undergoing annual health checkups and found that quitting alcohol led to increased LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreased HDL (good cholesterol).
Healing can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking, but if the damage is severe, healing can take several months. In some cases, “if the damage to the liver has been long-term, it may not be reversible,” Dr. Stein warns.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
1. Walking raises your “good” cholesterol and lowers your “bad” cholesterol. A brisk 30-minute walk three times per week is enough to raise your “good” cholesterol (HDL) and lower your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) a few points. This amount of exercise, even without weight loss, is shown to improve your cholesterol levels.
Levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol exceeding 190 milligrams per deciliter typically call for a statin prescription. But depending on how high your cholesterol climbs, your doctor may be open to you trying to lower it using lifestyle changes. The most effective interventions involve diet and exercise.
Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods
Oatmeal has soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears.
In addition to contributing to higher levels of bad LDL cholesterol in the blood, excessive consumption of alcohol, whether regular or occasional, has many negative effects on health. If you have high levels of bad LDL cholesterol, you may be at risk of heart disease and regular excessive drinking is not advisable.
Red wine has a great reputation because it may be good for your heart health. The benefits can be traced back to the fermentation process. Red grapes contain a powerful type of antioxidant known as resveratrol.
Food and alcohol
People who regularly drink large amounts of alcohol are at increased risk of getting more serious side effects. If you're prescribed a statin, you may be able to continue drinking alcohol. However, you should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week.