The powerful plant compounds in red wine have been linked with many health benefits, including reduced inflammation, lower risk of heart disease and cancer, and extended lifespan. Studies have repeatedly shown that moderate red wine consumption seems to lower the risk of several diseases, including heart disease. These risks seem to cancel out evidence of alcohol’s cardiovascular benefits, which was weakened anyway when researchers did more nuanced studies. The heart-protective theory was based on the finding that moderate drinkers had better cardiovascular health than both nondrinkers (by a little bit) and heavy drinkers (by a lot). But those studies lumped all nondrinkers together, including those who had quit because of substance use issues or illness. As a result, “abstainers” looked relatively unhealthy, and “moderate” drinkers, many of whom exercise and eat well, looked pretty good.
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- Alcohol inhibits fat oxidation, suggesting that frequent alcohol consumption could lead to fat sparing, and thus higher body fat in the long term 62.
- Within the large body of observational research, contradictory findings exist, which warrant further exploration 3•, 4.
- It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism.
- “The one to two drinks guideline is a function of the long-term risks to one’s health in terms of physical diseases, whereas consuming three or more drinks a day increases risk.”
If you have questions about the plusses and risks of alcohol, talk with your health care professional. What was surprising about the experience is that even 18 months later, I still consume a lot less than I used to. But overall, I’m able to afford nicer daily-drinkers that last open for several days. Basically, if your ancestral lineage contains one of the 2 green colored gene variants of aldehyde dehydrogenase, your how to drink moderately body is more efficient at making acetaldehyde than people with the yellow gene variant. This happens usually just after one drink or less and sometimes make you break out in a rash.
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These antioxidants, especially resveratrol and proanthocyanidins, are believed to be responsible for the health benefits of red wine. However, new studies have shown that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat do not cause heart disease when consumed in reasonable amounts (3, 4). Some research shows that resveratrol could be linked to a lower risk of swelling and irritation, called inflammation, and blood clotting. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism.
Red wine contains powerful plant compounds and antioxidants, including resveratrol
There are several lines of evidence suggesting the potential for alcohol to promote weight gain, and the contradictory results often seen in the literature have led to the development of alternative hypotheses regarding the influence of alcohol on body weight. For people in this age group, moderate alcohol intake may provide some health benefits, such as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes, but also a possible increased risk of other diseases 146,147. Another important confounding factor to be considered is physical activity level. Many epidemiologic studies fail to consider lifestyle choices such as physical activity and sedentary behaviors despite the fact that increased energy expenditure may counter increases in energy intake through alcohol consumption 17, 23, 30, 32, 40, 42. Furthermore, beer and spirit drinkers appear to have poorer dietary habits in general than wine drinkers 3•. Thus, accounting for both sides of the energy balance equation (intake, expenditure and lifestyle habits) is crucial to evaluate adequately the association between alcohol intake and obesity.
- More than four drinks daily appear to cause a fivefold increase in your risk of mouth and throat cancer, as well as an increase in your risk of breast, colon and liver cancer (58, 59, 61, 62).
- This narrative review aims to re-evaluate the relationship between the type of alcoholic drink and the dose and the reduction or increase in the risk of various diseases, in the light of the most current scientific evidence.
- Alcohol misuse—which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- I drink moderately – normally at the weekend I’ll have a couple of pints of lager (I love Camden Hells) either on a Friday or Saturday.
- However, even moderate alcohol seems to increase the risk of breast cancer.
- However, studies investigating the link between alcohol and weight have provided inconsistent results (31).
Ethanol, the active ingredient in alcoholic drinks, is generally referred to as “alcohol.” It can have powerful effects on your mental state. These calories add up — and getting more calories than you need can make it harder to stay at a healthy weight. If OPAC appears as the most effective metabolite in promoting acetaldehyde detoxification via ALDHs, other nutraceutical bioactive compounds might contribute to a protective strategy aimed to keep low acetaldehyde levels. GSH directly participates in acetaldehyde detoxification, and GSH levels decrease in the presence of acetaldehyde 69. Two quercetin metabolites, namely 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (OPAC) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), have been demonstrated to induce drug metabolic enzymes. Moreover, OPAC showed ALDH-enhancing activity in a cultured hepatocyte model 67; in this study OPAC enhanced total ALDH activity by upregulating gene transcription through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent pathway.
- Chronic alcohol abuse can have catastrophic health effects, impacting your entire body and causing a range of health problems.
- Alcohol has also been shown to influence a number of hormones linked to satiety.
- Moderate drinking is defined as at most one standard drink per day for women and at most two for men, while heavy drinking is defined as more than three drinks per day for women and four for men (80).
- Furthermore, they are responsible for the oxidation of LDL-C (Ox-LDL), which accumulate in the tunica intima, where they are swallowed by macrophages 73.