How does alcohol affect leg claudication?

Decreases risk: Several studies have shown a protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption towards claudication. Men who drank 1-2 drinks/day and women who drank 0.5-1 drinks/day had a lower risk of claudication.

Depends: Just like my grandma used to say, "too much of anything is not good." same is true for alcohol. Though one drink/day may not hurt and may even help claudication, the equation quickly changes at two drinks or more/day. Why? Because of how the body works. At high doses, the liver tries to quickly metabolize alcohol and the byproducts are "free radicals" - these destroy the healthy lining of arteries.