No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

Drinking small amounts — especially of red wine — is linked to various health benefits. In fact, red wine may be linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic beverage (75, 76, 77, 78, 79). However, some kombucha makers are now producing hard kombucha, which has an alcohol content similar to beer or hard seltzer. Regular kombucha has some health benefits, including reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and aiding in digestion. A drink or two a few times a week may make you less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. Moderate drinking may also reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease — both of which can speed up the effects of Alzheimer’s.

Nutrition and healthy eating

It’s tempting to assume that because heavy alcohol consumption is is alcohol good for you very bad, lesser amounts must be at least a little bad. But the science isn’t there, in part because critics of the alcohol industry have deliberately engineered a state of ignorance. It’s tempting to assume that because heavy alcohol consumption is very bad, lesser amounts must be at least a little bad.

• This idea was known as the “French paradox” — the observation that the French drank lots of wine, and despite eating a diet rich in saturated fat, had lower rates of cardiovascular disease.
• Keep in mind that your cancer risk may increase — regardless of how much you are drinking.
• When older adults exceed these limits, the study found, their risk of losing years of their life to disease and disability begins to rise.
• Just because moderate drinking allows up to two drinks per day doesn’t mean you should drink every day.
• That happy-hour cocktail or glass of wine with dinner may make you less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Let’s define healthy

People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons. Knowing your personal risk based on your habits can help you make the best decision for you. The study found that drinking 100 grams or https://ecosoberhouse.com/ less of alcohol per week had the lowest risk for mortality.

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Moderate alcohol consumption may reduce symptoms of type 2 diabetes by enhancing the uptake of blood sugar by your cells. In fact, because heavy drinking is a major cause of depression in some individuals, treating the underlying alcohol abuse may lead to big improvements (25, 26, 27). Liver diseases caused by alcohol consumption are collectively known as alcoholic liver diseases. Alcohol is never going to be considered a health food, Kober says.

Ways that your standard hangover cures won’t even begin to touch. Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors.

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However, it is important to note that many studies making these claims are inconclusive. In 2012, results of a study of swine with high cholesterol levels suggested that moderate consumption of both vodka and wine may reduce cardiovascular risk, with wine offering greater protection. An Italian review of studies published in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that moderate wine and beer consumption reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, but spirits did not. Another study found that one component in red wine may protect the brain from stroke damage.

Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of birth defects in the US. Drinking while pregnant can lead to abnormal facial features, low birth weight, central nervous system problems, and other serious issues (63, 64). Ethanol reduces communication between brain cells — a short-term effect responsible for many of the symptoms of being drunk. Alcohol is metabolized by the liver, and frequent intake can lead to increased fat inside liver cells.

• But there are healthier ways to get the same benefits, like exercising.
• Drinking moderately if you’re otherwise healthy may be a risk you’re willing to take.
• While consuming alcohol in moderation appears to have some benefits, it is important to remember that too much can be devastating for overall health and even life-threatening in the long run.
• Alcohol affects the body in numerous ways, both in the short and long term.
• If you’re a woman who only has two drinks a day but you have two drinks every day, that’s 14 drinks per week—twice the recommended amount for low-risk consumption.

In the past, moderate drinking was thought to be linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and possibly diabetes. After more analysis of the research, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In general, a healthy diet and physical activity have much greater health benefits than alcohol and have been more extensively studied. Additionally, it irritates the stomach lining, disrupts nutrient absorption, and weakens the immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to infections. While moderate drinking may offer some health benefits, the risks of excessive alcohol consumption far outweigh them.