Jul 28 2010
Is Drinking Alcohol Healthy Or Dangerous?
Photo by Mr. T in DC
“I’ve always wondered what the scientific perspective of alcohol consumption is. I have been doing some research but the actual effects of it on the body range from beneficial to cancerous.”
The clinical science on alcohol consumption is vast and diverse. It’s easy to find studies that demonstrate the benefits of alcohol, but it is equally common to find research showing its dangers. Sorting through the data is not trivial, and getting the right answer from news reports is virtually impossible.
Let’s start with the facts:
1. Alcohol is addictive
Alcohol addiction is one of the most well-understood and dangerous risks of drinking. A propensity for addiction can run in families, but can affect anyone who drinks in excess. None of the health benefits of alcohol can negate the destruction caused by addiction, and anyone who drinks should be careful to avoid this terrible condition.
2. Alcohol damages the liver
Alcohol metabolism occurs in the liver and can cause severe damage when consumed in large quantities. Liver damage can usually be reversed if alcohol consumption stops.
3. Alcohol is associated with breast cancer (sort of)
Drinking is weakly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This is likely because alcohol increases aromatase activity in the human body, which increases estrogen production. Estrogen imbalance is a known cause of breast cancer. However, the association between drinking and breast cancer is negated by sufficient folate intake. Folate or folic acid is a B vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, fruits and legumes (and fortified foods). In other words, a healthy diet protects against alcohol induced breast cancer risk.
4. Alcohol protects against mortality from heart disease
Drinking alcohol reduces your risk of dying from a heart attack by preventing blood clotting. This effect is not limited to red wine, all spirits elicit substantial protection. The association appears to be dose-dependent, meaning that the more you drink the more protection you get. HOWEVER, you start raising your risk for the above mentioned problems with every additional drink per day. For men the ideal dosage is 2 drinks per day, for women it is 1 drink per day.
5. Alcohol raises good HDL cholesterol
Moderate drinking also reduces your risk of getting heart disease in the first place by raising beneficial HDL cholesterol without raising LDL cholesterol. Low HDL is a serious problem in America, and alcohol could be a significant benefit for some people. Here are other ways to raise your HDL cholesterol.
6. Red wine may slow aging
Aging research has been revolutionized by the discovery of a compound in red wine called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been shown to slow aging substantially in several model organisms. Though the effect in humans is still unknown, red wine is associated with many benefits that seem to go above and beyond the benefits of alcohol in general.
7. Red wine may protect against Alzheimer’s disease
Several studies have shown that red wine is associated with a decreased risk for Alzheimer’s Dementia, a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects 1 in 4 people over the age of 90. The mechanism of action is unclear, but the benefits may be linked to the effect of red wine on fatty acids in the blood (raising the good stuff), or by slowing the aging process itself.
8. Alcohol causes accidents and behavioral problems
Even relatively safe levels of drinking can be deadly when combined with poor decision making. If you do choose to drink alcohol, always be sure that you’re in a safe environment and can get help if you need it. Being safe sometimes, or even usually, is simply not good enough.
There are plenty of good reasons to avoid alcohol if you choose, and many of the benefits can be garnered by simply increasing the amount or intensity of your daily physical activity.
However, the evidence is pretty clear that moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 drinks per day) can improve health and may be an important component of a healthy lifestyle. This is even true for those who pick up the habit later in life.
And last but certainly not least, some of the best times of my life have been over a drink with friends. And I guarantee you most of us aren’t thinking about our heart health while enjoying a great bottle of wine. As long as you consider safety first, never forget that smiling is one of the healthiest things you will ever do.
Here’s a fun question: what’s your favorite drink??
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Tags: alcohol, breast cancer, cholesterol, HDL, heart disease, wine
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As someone who enjoys a drink or 3 with friends on a weekly basis, I love this post.
My favorite drink (I live in the hot, humid south at the beach) is an ice cold draft beer. It’s the only thing that quenches thirst on the really hot days. I also love a good glass of wine or a fruity drink on occasion as well.
Thanks for the post Darya, that was very helpful!
I love wine, especially riesling, gruner veltliner, and jammy reds.
For hard liquor, I’m a fan of Captain & Coke, Vodka Cranberry, White Russians, Mojitos. After a certain incident, I no longer drink Hurricanes.
Depends on the occasion and especially the season.
Hot summer day, an ice cold lager, pilsner or any lighter beer will do the trick.
Winter or a nightcap, its got to be a high quality single-malt Scotch Whiskey. Straight or with a few drops of water.
Great and informative post! My favorite drink is a perfect Manhattan – especially if it’s made right! For summer pool parties, gotta go with Bobby Flay’s Mojito Limeade, hands down!
Everything in moderation. My favorite is a glass of Pinot Noir. Oh, how I could go for that right now as I stare my second trimester in the face! The real controversial question is: Is drinking alcohol while pregnant as much of a no-no as we’re led to believe?
Convinced me! I’m ready for happy hour now!
Great and informative post, thanks for netting out all the (somewhat contradictory) studies we’ve seen in the news lately. I’m partial to GSM blends from the Rhone and am hoping that will help prevent Alzheimers when I’m older!
Hi,
Thanks for posting this. I think the answer is Yes.
Alcohol in moderation may be beneficial to health, and most people can safely consume alcohol in moderation with no problems. But on the other hand for some people it is quite dangerous. You say, “anyone who drinks should be careful to avoid this terrible condition.” The problem is that for some individuals drinking with care to avoid the condition is not an option, because from the time they take their first drink of alcohol, their body reacts differently to it. They are born with a predisposition to alcoholism. Once they cross a certain threshold in their alcoholic consumption, they will increasingly lose control.
For them alcoholism is a progressive, chronic, fatal condition. In regard to liver damage, it may be reversible, but only in the early stages. Cirrhosis of the Liver is a very serious and fatal disease. Cancer of the Esophagus is another disease that is also frequently linked to alcoholism. Alcoholism in the advanced stages can cause serious brain damage as well.
In regards to the beneficial effects of alcohol, such as the resveratrol from red wine, that is available as an extract in nutritional supplements.
8. Alcohol causes accidents and behavioral problems– such as fatal crashes, domestic violence, rape and other violent crimes.
My favorite drink is green tea.
My favorite is a good quality medium body red wine, perhaps a Malbec. I try to limit it to 1 per day (a sip while cooking and the rest with dinner).
oooh ace post! Hard choice RE: the drinks though. I LOVE vodka lime and soda (water) on a hot day, a glass of pinot grigio with a girlfriend after a long day at work and an amaretto sour (which apparently has more sugar than a snickers bar!) on a special occasion. Although googling the sugar content has ruined them a bit for me
.
I think the interesting thing about alcohol is that a lot of the damage relating to alcohol abuse only actually occurs at a considerable stage above the recommended daily maximum of 1-2 drinks per day… however I guess they set the recommended max so low, assuming most people with stretch it anyway. What is really taxing though is drinking more than the equivalent of one unit per hour or so – I think thats the agreed rate at which your liver can process alcohol and anything above that is EXTREMELY taxing on your body. Alternate your drinks with water and give your liver 3-4 days off a week!
Love your comment about meeting up with friends and smiling! SO important. Ive given up alcohol for a month or so a few times and I do feel better altogether it must be said. However, so long as you arent drinking more than your body can process (or not doing it at all often anyway
) and you arent drinking more than a small glass of wine on your own, I figure the whole social aspect of alcohol really weighs in its favour. I live in the UK so whenever I want to go for a drink, I walk to whatever bar/pub/ cafe I need to, spend time laughing with friends and then walk home – much healthier overall than a night with the TV and some comfort pizza/pasta no?
Whats your favorite drink Darya?
Great post and quite informative! Definitely would say that an ice cold beer always hits the spot, especially on these hot summer days we’re having!
As I am a youngster, I can’t and don’t drink alcohol. But its effects on GABA and Glutamate receptors in our brains scares the crap out of me. The July/August issue of DISCOVER has a really cool story in the “Vital Signs” column about this. But it definitely seems that the effect of alcohol from wine is much lower than that of beer/liquor in the brain. I’m not smart enough to figure out why, though, but it’s definitely interesting and shows that pretty much everything has benefits and downsides.