Drinking won't lower your cholesterol risk. Keep alcohol within low-risk limits, and cut right back if your triglycerides are high.
Wine, beer and spirits have no fat or cholesterol, so they don't raise LDL directly. Alcohol does raise HDL, but raising HDL this way hasn't been shown to protect the heart, and the NHS says the old idea that some alcohol is good for the heart has been revised. Heavier drinking raises triglycerides and blood pressure and adds a lot of calories. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline advises keeping alcohol to a minimum if your triglycerides are high.
Drinks: what's in a serving
| Food and serving | Sat fat | Cholesterol | Fibre | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red wine, medium glass175 ml (6 fl oz), about 2.3 UK units · FDC 173190 | 0 g | 0 mg | 0 g | 149 |
| Beer, regular, pint568 ml (UK pint), about 2.8 units · FDC 168746 | 0 g | 0 mg | 0 g | 244 |
| Beer, regular, can12 fl oz (355 ml), about 1.7 units · FDC 168746 | 0 g | 0 mg | 0 g | 153 |
| Spirits, 80 proof (vodka, gin, whisky)1.5 fl oz (44 ml), about 1.75 units · FDC 174815 | 0 g | 0 mg | 0 g | 97 |
| Piña colada4.5 fl oz cocktail (141 g) · FDC 168752 | 2.3 g | 0 mg | 0.4 g | 245 |
| Cream liqueur (coffee with cream)1.5 fl oz (47 g) · FDC 175098 | 4.5 g | 27 mg | 0 g | 154 |
UK units are 8 g (10 ml) of pure alcohol, worked out from USDA's alcohol content for each drink; strengths vary by brand. The piña colada gets its saturated fat from coconut cream, and the cream liqueur from dairy cream. Alcohol itself has about 7 calories per gram. Source: USDA FoodData Central (public domain); search the FDC number to see the full record. Values are rounded and vary by brand and recipe.
Saturated fat only comes in with cream and coconut
Wine, beer and spirits have no saturated fat at all, so they don't appear on a saturated fat budget. Creamy cocktails and liqueurs do: a single cream liqueur uses about a third of a 13 g day, and it's easy to have more than one.
Bars show each serving against about 13 g a day, the American Heart Association's target (under 6% of 2,000 calories) for people lowering LDL. Work out your own number with the saturated fat calculator.
What alcohol does to your lipid results
HDL goes up, but that doesn't help. A 2011 BMJ meta-analysis of 44 intervention studies found that drinking raised HDL by about 0.094 mmol/L (3.6 mg/dL), with more alcohol raising it more, across wine, beer and spirits. But genetic studies have found that being born with higher HDL doesn't lower heart attack risk, while being born with higher LDL raises it. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline doesn't recommend niacin or fibrates as routine add-ons, partly because the drugs that raise HDL haven't been shown to prevent heart attacks on top of a statin. There's no reason to try it with alcohol either.
Triglycerides go up with heavier drinking. In that meta-analysis of mostly moderate drinking, triglycerides didn't change. But the 2026 guideline advises minimising alcohol for people with triglycerides of 150 to 499 mg/dL (1.7 to 5.6 mmol/L).
The "red wine is good for you" idea. Older observational studies found light drinkers had lower heart disease rates than non-drinkers. Studies like these can be confounded, for example if some non-drinkers have given up because of ill health. The NHS now says that the earlier view that some alcohol was good for the heart has been revised, and that drinking more than 14 units a week over many years increases the risk of heart disease.
Lower-risk drinking
- Stay within 14 units a week, spread over 3 or more days, with several drink-free days, as the NHS advises. Using the drinks in the table, that's about 6 medium (175 ml) glasses of red wine or 5 pints of regular beer.
- Choose smaller measures: a 125 ml glass instead of 175 or 250 ml, a half pint, a single.
- Alternate with water or alcohol-free drinks.
- Skip creamy cocktails and cream liqueurs if you're watching saturated fat.
- Watch mixers and food. Sugary mixers add free sugar, and the bar snacks and late-night takeaways that come with drinking often add more saturated fat than the drinks.
How much is sensible?
If you don't drink, there's no cholesterol reason to start. If you do, the NHS low-risk limit is 14 units a week for men and women. If your triglycerides are high, cut back further or stop for a few weeks before your next test to see what changes. Alcohol can also interact with some medicines, so check with your pharmacist or doctor.
General information, not medical advice
This page is for education and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. If you have high cholesterol, take medication or have another health condition, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
Does alcohol raise cholesterol?
Alcohol doesn't contain cholesterol and doesn't directly raise LDL. It raises HDL and, with heavier drinking, triglycerides. Neither change makes drinking good for your heart.
Is red wine good for cholesterol?
No. Red wine raises HDL like other alcoholic drinks, but higher HDL from drinking hasn't been shown to protect the heart. The NHS says the earlier view that some alcohol was good for the heart has been revised.
Does alcohol raise triglycerides?
Heavier drinking can. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline advises keeping alcohol to a minimum for people with triglycerides of 150 to 499 mg/dL (1.7 to 5.6 mmol/L).
How many drinks is 14 units?
A UK unit is 8 g of pure alcohol. Based on USDA alcohol content, a 175 ml glass of red wine is about 2.3 units, a pint of regular beer about 2.8 units and a single 1.5 oz measure of spirits about 1.75 units. So 14 units is roughly 6 medium glasses of wine or 5 pints of beer a week.
Which alcoholic drink is best for high cholesterol?
None is good for cholesterol. Wine, beer and spirits have no saturated fat; creamy cocktails and cream liqueurs do. The amount you drink matters more than the type.
Scan or log your drinks in Heart Tracker
Search for your drink and log it alongside your meals. Heart Tracker counts the calories and any saturated fat from cream or coconut, so you can see how a night out fits into your day.
Download Heart Tracker FreeRelated guides
Sources
- Brien SE, et al. Effect of alcohol consumption on biological markers associated with risk of coronary heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies. BMJ. 2011;342:d636.
- Voight BF, et al. Plasma HDL cholesterol and risk of myocardial infarction: a mendelian randomisation study. Lancet. 2012;380(9841):572–80.
- 2026 ACC/AHA multisociety guideline on the management of dyslipidemia. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026 (alcohol and triglycerides; HDL-raising drugs).
- NHS: The risks of drinking too much (14 units a week; heart disease).
- USDA FoodData Central: red wine (FDC 173190); beer, regular (168746); distilled spirits, 80 proof (174815); piña colada (168752); coffee liqueur with cream (175098).