Does beer raise cholesterol?

Not LDL cholesterol, the fraction most heart advice is about. The only meta-analysis of beer itself pooled 26 controlled trials, and across 12 of them LDL changed by -2.85 mg/dL (95% CI -5.96 to 0.26), which is no clear change. Total cholesterol came out 3.52 mg/dL higher in beer drinkers across 14 studies with 1,080 people, and the rise is mostly HDL, up 3.63 mg/dL. Triglycerides did not differ. Heavy drinking changes the picture: above 60 g of alcohol a day, five or more drinks, triglycerides rose by 24 mg/dL (0.274 mmol/L).

Established. Moderate drinking does not raise LDL cholesterol. Two meta-analyses agree. The beer review found no LDL difference across 12 studies, and a 2011 BMJ meta-analysis of interventional studies in adults without known heart disease found alcohol did not significantly change total or LDL cholesterol.

What the trials found

HDL goes up with the dose of alcohol

The 2011 BMJ analysis found HDL rose by 2.8 mg/dL (95% CI 0.93 to 4.6; metric: 0.072 mmol/L, 0.024 to 0.119) at 1 to 2 drinks a day, by 4 mg/dL (0.103 mmol/L) at 2 to 4 drinks and by 5.5 mg/dL (0.141 mmol/L) at five or more. A 1999 meta-analysis of 42 experimental studies in adults free of chronic disease put the effect of 30 g of alcohol a day, about two 11 fl oz (330 mL) bottles of 5% beer, at 3.99 mg/dL more HDL (95% CI 3.25 to 4.73). The same dose raised triglycerides by 5.69 mg/dL (2.49 to 8.89). A third review, 31 interventional studies from 2017, found moderate drinking raised HDL by 3.1 mg/dL (0.08 mmol/L) and lowered LDL by 3.1 mg/dL (0.08 mmol/L). That LDL fall sat right at the edge of significance (P = 0.05), and the abstract gives no confidence intervals.

In the beer review, HDL rose by 4.51 mg/dL against alcohol-free beer and by 2.59 mg/dL against water or placebo. HDL rose more when the comparison was alcohol-free beer, which points at the alcohol.

Myth. Something in beer besides the alcohol improves cholesterol. A 4-week randomized crossover feeding trial in 33 men at high cardiovascular risk gave them beer, alcohol-free beer and gin in turn. The authors concluded that alcohol mainly improves the lipid profile, while the phenolic content of beer acts on inflammatory markers.

Alcohol-free beer

A 4-week randomized trial gave 44 healthy young men 22 fl oz (660 mL) a day of one of three non-alcoholic beers or water. In the group on a mixed beer, total cholesterol rose by 8.22 mg/dL (p = 0.2) and LDL by 7.37 mg/dL (p = 0.12), neither statistically significant. With pilsener and water both fell. The groups held about 11 men each. A 2-year study in 34 postmenopausal women found 11 fl oz (330 mL) a day of beer went with higher HDL and 22 fl oz (660 mL) of non-alcoholic beer with lower LDL. The women were not randomized, the groups differed in time since menopause, and only 6 drank the non-alcoholic beer.

Why higher HDL is not a reason to drink

Unsettled. A genetic analysis of 261,991 people of European descent compared carriers of a gene variant that makes people drink less with everyone else. Those carriers had non-HDL cholesterol lower by 1.2 mg/dL (95% CI -1.9 to -0.39; metric: 0.03 mmol/L, -0.05 to -0.01). This kind of study is not a trial, so it is graded as observational evidence. It still points the same way as the experts below: drinking less goes with a better cholesterol profile, whatever alcohol does to HDL.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. Heavy drinkers. At more than 60 g of alcohol a day, about five or more drinks, triglycerides rose by 24 mg/dL (95% CI 3.8 to 45; metric: 0.274 mmol/L, 0.043 to 0.505), and only two studies tested that dose. Even 30 g a day raised triglycerides by 5.69 mg/dL in the 1999 analysis. None of these trials tested people who already have high triglycerides.

Sugary alcohol-free beer is no free pass either, going by the mixed beer arm above, though that change did not reach significance. We have no card on beer and pregnancy, medicines or liver disease for this page, so it says nothing about them.

What expert bodies say

The American Heart Association's 2025 scientific statement on alcohol and cardiovascular disease says binge drinking or an average of 3 or more drinks a day is consistently associated with worse outcomes in every cardiovascular disease it examined. A correction was published in 2026, and we did not read it. We did not find national drinking guidance, from NIAAA, the US Dietary Guidelines or WHO, in the sources we hold for this page.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A long trial. The beer review's authors write that the long-term effects of drinking beer are not yet understood, and no trial we found ran longer than 2 years.
• A randomized trial that measures heart attacks and strokes with beer. None exists, and the HDL rise alone does not show protection.
• The beer-only numbers from the 2011 BMJ appendix, which would show whether beer behaves like wine and spirits.
• Trials in people who already have high LDL or high triglycerides, the readers most likely to ask this question.

Sources

1. ev-beerchol-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials · n = 1080
   Total cholesterol was significantly higher in study compared to control group (mean difference 3.52 mg/dL, 1.71 to 5.32 mg/dL, p<0.001, I2 = 65%) (Fig 2).
   
   Who: 548 beer drinkers and 532 controls in 14 controlled trials (controls: alcohol-free beer, water, abstinence or placebo)
   Effect: TC MD +3.52 mg/dL (1.71 to 5.32), I2 = 65%; vs alcohol-free beer +3.00 mg/dL (0.51 to 5.49); vs water/placebo +3.92 mg/dL (0.51 to 7.33)
   Certainty: The rise in TC is mostly driven by HDL (card 02), LDL does not rise (card 03). In chronic studies versus water the difference disappeared.
   PLoS One, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
2. ev-beerchol-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials · n = 1261
   Similar results were found when beer was compared to either alcohol-free beer (mean difference 4.51 mg/dL, 2.23 to 6.79 mg/dL, p<0.001, I2 = 96%), or placebo/water (mean difference 2.59 mg/dL, 0.74 to 4.45 mg/dL, p<0.001, I2 = 93%) (Fig 3).
   
   Who: 626 beer drinkers and 635 controls in 18 controlled trials
   Effect: HDL MD +3.63 mg/dL (2.00 to 5.26), I2 = 96%; vs alcohol-free beer +4.51 (2.23 to 6.79); vs water/placebo +2.59 (0.74 to 4.45)
   Certainty: The effect on HDL comes from alcohol (larger against non-alcoholic beer). Heterogeneity is very high. Axis 8: disappears in patients.
   PLoS One, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
3. ev-beerchol-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials · n = —
   Similar increased levels were observed in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (18 studies, 3.63 mg/dL, 2.00-5.26 mg/dL) and in apolipoprotein A1 (5 studies, 0.16 mg/dL, 0.11-0.21 mg/dL), while no differences were detected in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (12 studies, -2.85 mg/dL, -5.96-0.26 mg/dL) and triglycerides (14 studies, 0.40 mg/dL, -5.00-5.80 mg/dL) levels.
   
   Who: Controlled trials of beer versus alcohol-free beer, water, abstinence or placebo
   Effect: LDL MD -2.85 mg/dL (-5.96 to 0.26); TG +0.40 mg/dL (-5.00 to 5.80)
   Certainty: Direct answer to H1: 'bad' cholesterol is not raised by beer in moderate doses.
   PLoS One, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-beerchol-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies · n = —
   A significant dose-response was observed between alcohol consumption and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (fig 2): 12.5-29.9 g/day (1-2 drinks, n=7), mean difference of 0.072 mmol/L (95% confidence interval: 0.024 to 0.119); 30-60 g/day (2-4 drinks, n=24), mean difference of 0.103 mmol/L (0.065 to 0.141); and >60 g/day (≥5 drinks, n=2), mean difference of 0.141 mmol/L (0.042 to 0.240; P for trend 0.013).
   
   Who: Adults without known cardiovascular disease in interventional studies (44 meta-analyzed)
   Effect: HDL +2.8 mg/dL (0.93 to 4.6; metric: 0.072 mmol/L, 0.024 to 0.119) at 12.5-29.9 g/day; +0.103 (0.065 to 0.141) at 30-60 g/day; +0.141 (0.042 to 0.240) at >60 g/day; P for trend 0.013
   Certainty: About alcohol in general; analysis by drink type (wine, beer, spirits) gave similar results (appendix 3). 17 of 44 studies are randomized.
   BMJ, 2011 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
5. ev-beerchol-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies · n = —
   In contrast, alcohol consumption did not significantly change levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, or Lp(a) lipoprotein (table 2).
   
   Who: Adults without known cardiovascular disease; 24 studies reporting LDL cholesterol
   Effect: no significant change in TC, LDL, TG or Lp(a) overall; no LDL effect in any dose stratum
   Certainty: Consistent with the beer meta-analysis 32492025 (LDL unchanged).
   BMJ, 2011 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
6. ev-beerchol-06 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies · n = —
   Pooled analysis of the impact of alcohol by dose on triglycerides showed a significant increase at the highest dose of alcohol (>60 g/day) in the two studies reporting alcohol consumption at this dose: mean difference 0.274 mmol/L (0.043 to 0.505), test for heterogeneity P=0.763 (fig 3).
   
   Who: Adults without known cardiovascular disease; two studies at >60 g alcohol/day
   Effect: TG +24 mg/dL (3.8 to 45; metric: 0.274 mmol/L, 0.043 to 0.505) at >60 g/day; heterogeneity P=0.763
   Certainty: Axis 6: only 2 studies in the upper dose tier. Triglycerides are the fraction that heavy drinking raises; for people with hypertriglyceridemia.
   BMJ, 2011 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
7. ev-beerchol-07 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · meta-analysis of experimental studies · n = —
   An experimental dose of 30 g of ethanol a day increased concentrations of high density lipoprotein cholesterol by 3.99 mg/dl (95% confidence interval 3.25 to 4.73), apolipoprotein A I by 8.82 mg/dl (7.79 to 9.86), and triglyceride by 5.69 mg/dl (2.49 to 8.89).
   
   Who: Men and women free of chronic disease and not alcohol dependent, 42 experimental studies, alcohol as ethanol, beer, wine or spirits for 1 to 9 weeks
   Effect: HDL +3.99 mg/dL (3.25 to 4.73); apoA-I +8.82 mg/dL (7.79 to 9.86); TG +5.69 mg/dL (2.49 to 8.89) at 30 g/day
   Certainty: 30 g of ethanol ≈ 2 bottles of 11 fl oz (330 mL) of 5% beer. The authors' conclusion about a causal reduction in CHD risk is refuted by Mendelian randomization data (card 11).
   BMJ, 1999 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-beerchol-08 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · meta-analysis of interventional studies · n = —
   In response to moderate alcohol consumption, low density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased by 0.08 mmol/l (P = 0.05), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol increased by 0.08 mmol/l (P < 0.00001), whereas total cholesterol and triglyceride remained the same.
   
   Who: 31 interventional studies of moderate alcohol consumption
   Effect: LDL -3.1 mg/dL (-0.08 mmol/L) (P = 0.05); HDL +3.1 mg/dL (0.08 mmol/L) (P < 0.00001); TC and TG unchanged
   Certainty: There are no confidence intervals in the abstract; LDL is borderline significant. Full text unavailable.
   Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-beerchol-09 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover feeding trial, 4 weeks per arm (beer, non-alcoholic beer, gin) · n = 33
   The phenolic content of beer reduces leukocyte adhesion molecules and inflammatory biomarkers, whereas alcohol mainly improves the lipid profile and reduces some plasma inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis.
   
   Who: Thirty-three high risk male volunteers
   Effect: lipid profile improved by alcohol; beer phenolics reduced leukocyte adhesion molecules and inflammatory biomarkers; sizes not in the quote
   Certainty: Axis 7: myth 'beer polyphenols improve cholesterol'; the lipid effect comes from ethanol, the same as with gin.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-beerchol-10 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · investigator-blinded randomized trial, 4 weeks, four arms · n = 44
    The cholesterol and LDL cholesterol increased in the mixed beer group by 8.22 mg/dL (p = 0.2) and 7.37 mg/dL (p = 0.12), respectively, and decreased in the pilsener and water groups (Figure 1F,G, Supplementary Table S1).
    
    Who: 44 healthy young men
    Effect: mixed beer TC +8.22 mg/dL (p = 0.2), LDL +7.37 mg/dL (p = 0.12); decreases with pilsener and water
    Certainty: Non-alcoholic beer with sugar (mix) worsens lipids and glucose through calories and sugar, not polyphenols. Small groups (~11).
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
11. ev-beerchol-11 · Observational data · Mendelian randomization meta-analysis of individual participant data · n = 261991
    Rs1229984 A-allele carriers also had lower non-HDL cholesterol concentrations (−0.03 (−0.05 to −0.01) mmol/L) (table 2).
    
    Who: 261 991 individuals of European descent from 56 epidemiological studies
    Effect: non-HDL cholesterol -1.2 mg/dL (-1.9 to -0.39; metric: -0.03 mmol/L, -0.05 to -0.01) in ADH1B rs1229984 A-allele carriers
    Certainty: Genetic instrument, not an RCT: hence C. The rise in HDL from alcohol does not translate into heart protection; less drinking means a better profile.
    BMJ, 2014 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
12. ev-beerchol-12 · Position of an expert body · scientific statement · n = —
    In stark contrast, heavier alcohol consumption such as binge drinking or consuming on average ≥3 drinks a day is consistently associated with worse outcomes in every cardiovascular disease entity studied.
    
    Who: General population, American Heart Association scientific statement
    Effect: heavier drinking (binge or >=3 drinks/day) consistently associated with worse outcomes in every cardiovascular disease entity studied
    Certainty: Authority position, T1 journal. Correction 41911356 (2026) issued; the abstract was not changed. Does not recommend drinking for the sake of the heart.
    Circulation, 2025 (American Heart Association scientific statement) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
13. ev-beerchol-13 · Observational data · non-randomized parallel controlled pilot trial, 2 years · n = 34
    Moderate consumption of beer, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, seemed to have positive effects on biochemical indicators of cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women, with 660 mL day-1 of non-alcoholic beer reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol blood levels, and 330 mL day-1 of alcoholic beer increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
    
    Who: 34 postmenopausal women (16 alcoholic beer, 6 non-alcoholic beer, 12 controls)
    Effect: HDL up with 330 mL/day alcoholic beer; LDL down with 660 mL/day non-alcoholic beer; sizes not given in the abstract
    Certainty: Groups were not assigned randomly and differed in time since menopause; very small (6 people in the non-alcoholic group).
    J Sci Food Agric, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
14. ev-beerchol-14 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials · n = —
    Although the long-term effects of beer consumption are not still understood, a beneficial effect of beer on endothelial function should be supposed.
    
    Who: 26 controlled trials of beer
    Effect: no long-term trial evidence
    Certainty: Axis 9: no RCT measured heart attacks or strokes; an effect on HDL does not prove protection (see 25011450).
    PLoS One, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract