Liver diseases caused by alcohol consumption are collectively known as alcoholic liver diseases. One of its main roles is to neutralize various toxic substances you consume. For this reason, your liver is particularly vulnerable to damage by alcohol intake (3). Probiotic foods and supplements may help with the management a variety of health conditions, such as IBS, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions… “For the general population, I do not believe there is sufficient evidence that the overall risks outweigh the benefits to support recommending against drinking about a drink a day among those that prefer to do so,” Marcus says. There is no consensus that moderate drinking leads to a healthier heart.

A recent study just last month concluded that moderate drinking might be preventing depression, which seems incredibly unlikely for a number of reasons. Alcohol interacts in potentially dangerous ways with a variety of medications, including acetaminophen, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, painkillers, and sedatives. It is also addictive, especially for people with a family history of alcoholism. The active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, a simple molecule called ethanol, affects the body in many different ways. It directly influences the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder, and liver. It affects levels of lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and insulin in the blood, as well as inflammation and coagulation.

Alcohol and Heart Health: Separating Fact from Fiction

However, it is still unclear whether such benefits on glucose metabolism will translate into a reduction in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Some (8–10), but not all (11–13), previous prospective studies have shown that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of T2D than nondrinkers and heavy drinkers. Intriguingly, we noted that the alcoholic beverages were usually served with meals in those clinical trials that have detected beneficial effects https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/marijuana-addiction-how-addictive-is-weed/ of moderate alcohol intake on glucose metabolism (3–7). Therefore, we hypothesized that the association between alcohol intake and risk of T2D might differ by the timing of alcohol intake with respect to meals. Prior studies have largely ignored the potential impact of the timing of drinking. The major strengths of our study include the large sample size, the wealth of information on alcohol consumption, and the covariates.

In the EU, cancer is the leading cause of death – with a steadily increasing incidence rate – and the majority of all alcohol-attributable deaths are due to different
types of cancers. Since Stockwell’s initial study, there’s been research reporting cardioprotective effects and other health benefits from low-to-moderate alcohol consumption. Light drinking has also been linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis, a reduced risk for dementia and cognitive decline, and even making you less deaf. In the past two decades, the idea that moderate drinking may actually confer health benefits has taken hold, backed up by some preliminary and limited evidence.

Brain Health and Moderate Drinking

You’ve probably been told that controlled drinking is simply not a safe or realistic option for anyone who’s developed a drinking problem. And that it is a setup for failure based on the assumption that drinking problems always progress and inevitably gets worse. According to this view, lifelong abstinence is the one and only way to deal successfully with a drinking problem. → Are not currently grappling with severe life problems such as divorce, job loss, bankruptcy, debilitating or life-threatening medical illness, death of a loved one, depression or other psychiatric illness, etc. Do you want to cut down on your drinking rather than give up alcohol completely? Dr. Washton offers personalized concierge care that can help you learn how to moderate your drinking within safer limits.

• Red wine may be one of the healthiest alcoholic beverages, probably due to its high concentration of antioxidants.
• Similarly, make sure the drinks you are counting are standard sizes (12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits).
• The risk of developing cancer increases substantially the more alcohol is consumed.
• Rarely, if ever, do heavy drinkers choose to give up alcohol for good until they are convinced by their own experience that moderation is simply not attainable.

Alcohol also causes a number of serious harms to others, many of them violence-related. These include increased risk of child maltreatment, physical abuse, intimate partner violence, sexual assaults and gun violence. Alcohol-involved traffic fatalities in the U.S. – after several decades of decreasing – ticked up by 14% to 11,654 in 2020. Even industry representatives, who have historically portrayed moderate drinking as part of a well-balanced life, now echo this point.

Science around Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol drinking has both adverse and beneficial effects on health. Undoubtedly, the harmful use of alcohol is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide (1), whereas moderate drinking when alcohol is consumed in an appropriate way may be beneficial (2). The benefits of moderate drinking on glucose metabolism have been documented in several well-designed clinical trials (3–7). A long-term (2-y), large-scale clinical trial indicated that initiating moderate wine intake as part of a dinner significantly decreased fasting glucose concentrations and improved insulin resistance in well-controlled diabetics (3). Another randomized clinical trial showed that consumption of 30 g alcohol/d with meals had significant beneficial effects on insulin and insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic postmenopausal women (4).

The researchers concluded that moderate drinkers didn’t have a lower mortality risk than non-drinkers. Heavy drinking and beer are linked to increased weight gain, while light to moderate drinking and wine are linked to reduced weight gain. While alcohol intoxication is only temporary, chronic alcohol abuse can impair brain function permanently. However, moderate drinking may have benefits for brain health — especially among older adults.

Their decision is often the result of failed attempts at controlled drinking and/or suffering severe alcohol-related consequences. In general, heavy drinkers who are physically addicted to alcohol and/or those who have suffered serious alcohol-related problems are better off not drinking at all, as moderation is less effective. It is also not intended for formerly dependent drinkers (i.e., alcoholics) who have been abstaining. Determining whether moderate drinking you should drink should be based on several factors, including your own health and lifestyle, your history with alcohol, and your body’s own limitations. The results might come as a shock after decades of hearing that drinking can help lower your risk of disease. The tail represents abstainers, at relatively high-risk; the dip represents moderate drinkers, at lowest risk; and from there the slope rises steadily, as risk increases with every glass.

The difference between moderate and heavy drinking is in the number of drinks consumed per week. Heavy drinking, on the other hand, is linked to a number of poor health outcomes, including heart conditions. Excessive alcohol intake can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure or stroke. Excessive drinking can also contribute to cardiomyopathy, a disorder that affects the heart muscle. There is some evidence that moderate amounts of alcohol might help to slightly raise levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.