It’s important to be aware that alcohol doesn’t have to be a part of those things, Dr. Oesterle says. In addition to affecting the liver, alcohol affects the brain, the heart, and both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Red wine appears to be particularly beneficial because it is very high in healthy antioxidants. Binge drinking early in pregnancy is particularly risky for the developing baby (65).
Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits
The study was necessarily limited, and alcohol can certainly have detrimental effects on brain functions when confused in excess. A little inebriation could get the juices flowing, but don’t chug an entire handle of vodka in hopes of painting the next Mona Lisa. Medicine and public health would benefit greatly if better data were available to offer more conclusive guidance about alcohol. To date, federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health is alcohol good for you have shown no interest in exclusively funding these studies on alcohol. Loose use of the terms “moderate” and “a drink” has fueled some of the ongoing debate about alcohol’s impact on health.
- A 2022 review suggests that alcohol consumption may have an association with the immunological risk of alopecia areata.
- But observational studies cannot prove cause-and-effect because moderate drinkers differ in many ways from non-drinkers and heavy drinkers—in diet, exercise, and smoking habits, for instance.
- And if you do drink, you can also proactively support your brain in other ways to optimize cognitive longevity.
- The key is understanding that while alcohol itself isn’t technically healthy, there are healthier choices to be made when you’re indulging.
- Many people drink alcohol as a personal preference, during social activities, or as a part of cultural and religious practices.
- Moderate drinking sits at the point at which the health benefits of alcohol clearly outweigh the risks.
Is alcohol good for you?
They recommend no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for men. One drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer with a 5% alcohol content, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits. Scientific evidence about drinking alcohol goes back nearly 100 years—and includes plenty of variability in alcohol’s health effects. In the 1980s and 1990s, for instance, alcohol in moderation, and especially red wine, was touted as healthful. Now the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that contemporary narratives suggest every ounce of alcohol is dangerous.
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And while juniper berries do contain antioxidants, it’s unknown whether those actually make it into the gin during the fermentation process. Alcohol is unique in that it gets absorbed right through the stomach, which can hit people faster, Hultin says. “I really recommend that people drink alcohol while eating food, because it’s going to slow the absorption of alcohol and how fast it gets into your bloodstream,” she notes. Alcohol doesn’t make a lot of “Top 10” lists for being one of the healthiest things to put in our bodies.
- And we need the media to treat the subject with the nuance it requires.
- At the same time, it impairs judgment and may promote behavior people may end up regretting (1, 2).
- And people who have a drink or two together — rather than, say, sodas — are likely to spend more time talking.
Alcohol manufacturers have previously expressed some willingness to finance the studies—similar to the way pharmaceutical companies finance most drug testing—but that has often led to criticism. This happened to us, even though external experts found our proposal scientifically sound. In 2018, the National Institutes of Health ended our trial to study the health effects of alcohol. The NIH found that officials at one of its institutes had solicited funding from alcohol manufacturers, violating federal policy. Yet we continue to see reductive narratives, in the media and even in science journals, that alcohol in any amount is dangerous.
Alcohol and your health: Is none better than a little?
There is no recommended number of times that someone should jump out of a plane. It’s fun for some people, but there is no medical reason to do it or health benefit from it. Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them. You and your community can take steps to improve everyone’s health and quality of life.
In fact, it may have adverse effects on development, growth, intelligence and behavior — which may affect the child for the rest of its life (63). Your liver is a remarkable organ with hundreds of essential functions. On the other, it is addictive and highly toxic — especially when you drink too much.