Effects of Alcohol on the Cardiovascular System in Women

Mariann R. Piano, Laurel A. Thur, Chueh-Lung Hwang, and Shane A. Phillips

Alcohol’s effects on women’s cardiovascular health is a topic of extreme interest, given that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women. In this article, the authors explore sex differences in alcohol’s effects on cardiovascular health by reviewing meta-analyses and longitudinal studies that reported data on CVD and alcohol use separately for men and women.