What are the effects of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular risk factors?
Alcohol consumption has been linked to a variety of cardiovascular risk factors, including increased platelet activation and aggregation, decreased clot procoagulant activity, increased insulin sensitivity, increased postprandial effects in diabetics, increased risk of stroke in hypertensive and overweight men, poor blood pressure control, and increased atherosclerotic risk among different genders and age groups. The results of these studies indicate that alcohol consumption may have a variety of impacts on cardiovascular risk factors. 