By Dr. Mercola
According to a recent report1
by the U.S. surgeon general, substance abuse is skyrocketing in the
U.S., and that includes alcohol. In fact, substance abuse in general has
eclipsed cancer in terms of prevalence.
According to this report, more than 66 million — nearly 25 percent of
the total adolescent and adult population — reported binge drinking at
some point in 2015. In terms of healthcare costs, alcohol abuse is racking up a price tag of $249 billion a year.
Drinking has become so common you might not give it much thought.
Researchers have even stated that moderate alcohol consumption may have
certain health benefits, which may serve as a comforting justification
for some.
However, there's still plenty of controversy on this issue, and I
would not use it to justify chronic drinking, regardless of the amount.
As demonstrated in the BBC investigation above, drinking tends to do far
more harm than good, even if you're within guidelines for "moderate"
alcohol consumption.
Do Drinking Patterns Make a Difference?
The BBC segment above investigates the differences between moderate
drinking and binge drinking, using identical twin brothers as guinea
pigs. They each drink 21 units of alcohol over differing time scales —
one consumes them all in one night while the other has three drinks per
day over the course of a week.
Twenty-one units amounts to three-quarters of a bottle of whiskey,
two bottles of wine, or 10.5 pints of beer. The test continues for a
month. Medical tests before and after assesses the physical effects and
potential damage.
Overall, the tests reveal that alcohol consumption is quite
detrimental in general, no matter how it's consumed. The doctor was
actually quite surprised at how bad moderate drinking was, considering
it's within the U.K. guidelines for alcohol consumption.
Factors That Influence How You're Affected by Alcohol
The effect of alcohol on your body depends on a number of factors,
including your gender, weight and genetic makeup. The smaller you are,
the more concentrated your blood alcohol level will be compared to a
larger person drinking the same amount.
Women, who tend to have more body fat than men, will also tend to be
more affected by alcohol, as alcohol is soluble in fat. This is why
drinking guidelines are lower for women.
Genes also play a significant role in how your body processes
alcohol, which subsequently determines how likely you are to suffer a
hangover as well. Enzymes that break down alcohol are determined by
genes. If you have slow-metabolizing enzymes, you're more likely to get a
hangover when you drink.
In essence, the hangover is your body's way of telling you it's
having a hard time metabolizing the alcohol and is struggling with
elevated toxicity. Continuing to drink despite such physical objections
raises your risk of liver disease.
That said, if your genetic profile predisposes you to not suffer
hangovers, that does NOT mean you can drink without physiological
repercussions.
The breakdown products of alcohol are what cause the most biological
damage, and those byproducts are produced even when your body
metabolizes alcohol quick enough to avoid a buildup of toxic byproducts
(which causes the hangover).
Conventional Drinking Guidelines
In the U.S., the 2015-2020 dietary guidelines2
suggest women consume no more than one drink per day (equivalent to no
more than 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of
wine). Men have a two-drinks-per-day allotment.
The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking3
as consuming five or more drinks within two hours for men, and four or
more drinks in two hours for women. In the U.K. bingeing is defined as
six units for women (equivalent to two glasses of wine) and eight units
for men.
How Alcohol Ruins Your Health
Acutely, alcohol depresses your central nervous system, which slows
down the communication between your brain cells. Your limbic system,
which controls emotions, is also affected. This is why alcohol
consumption lowers your inhibitions.
Your prefrontal cortex, a brain region associated with reasoning and
judgment, also slows in response to alcohol, leading to more impulsive
behavior and poor judgment.
At higher doses, your cerebellum, which plays a role in muscle
activity, will also be impacted, leading to dizziness and loss of
balance. Over time — even over as short a period as one month — alcohol:4,5,6
• Increases liver stiffness,
which increases your risk of liver cirrhosis. In the film, after one
month, the liver stiffness of the binge-drinking brother was increased
from 3.9 to 4.9 — a 25 percent increase in liver inflammation that leads
to cirrhosis.
The moderate-drinking brother fared nearly as badly. His liver stiffness
increased from 3.9 to 4.8, so spreading the drinks out did not make any
significant difference in terms of the liver damage caused by 21 units
of alcohol per week.
• Diminishes the formation of memories
due to ethanol buildup in the brain. This is why you may not remember
what you did while you were drunk. Alcohol also causes your hippocampus
to shrink, which affects memory and learning.
• Promotes systemic inflammation.
The two brothers both had significant increases in five different
inflammatory markers, although binge drinking caused a more dramatic
rise.
Studies have shown even a single binge causes a dramatic rise in
inflammation. In other words, your body reacts to alcohol in the same
way as it reacts to injury or infection.
• Increases stress on your heart, raising your risk for cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, high blood pressure and stroke.
Blood alcohol levels spike two to three hours AFTER your last drink,
which means it may occur in the middle of the night during sleep. This
raises your risk of accidental death due to choking on your own vomit
and/or suffering cardiac failure or stroke while sleeping.
• Significantly increases endotoxin levels. In other words, alcohol causes gut damage allowing bacteria to escape from your gut into your blood stream.
The film showed that bingeing caused significantly worse damage,
suggesting one week between binges is nowhere near enough to heal the
gut damage caused by high amounts of alcohol. That said, regular
consumption also led to elevated endotoxin levels, suggesting 21 units
of alcohol per week is too much, and "sensible" drinking limits likely
need to be much lower. How low is still unclear.
These are just a handful of the physical effects of alcohol. In
reality, alcohol affects every part of your body, as shown in this
Healthline infographic.7 In terms of chronic disease,
studies have linked excessive alcohol consumption with an increased
risk for poor immune function (which raises your risk for most
diseases), pancreatitis and cancer.
One recent study found alcohol was routinely linked to cancers in the
rectum, liver, colon, esophagus, oropharynx, larynx and, in women, the
breast.8
Overall, it found that alcohol is a causative factor in nearly 6
percent of all cancer deaths worldwide. The research did not identify
the biological causation between alcohol and cancers in these seven
sites, but according to the researchers:9
"Confirmation of specific biological mechanisms by which alcohol
increases the incidence of each type of cancer is not required to infer
that alcohol is a cause."
The percentage of deaths related to alcohol and cancer increased by 62 percent in the past 12 years, up from 3.6 percent in 2003 to 5.8 percent in 2015 worldwide.10
This increase may be the result of other factors in the lives of people
who suffer from cancer triggered by alcohol, such as poor dietary
choices, lack of exercise and poor sleep quality.
In order to assign causation of cancer to alcohol, study participants
would have to randomly be assigned to drink or abstain over the course
of their life. Instead, researchers have studied a large body of
epidemiological data that comes as close as it can to linking alcohol
with cancer.
Another study linked even light drinking to the same list of cancer types.11 The American Cancer Society also warns that even a few drinks each week can increase your risk of breast cancer.12
The risk is higher in women who have low folate levels. Other research
links the recurrence of breast cancer with alcohol intake.13
Both of these links appear to be related to alcohol's ability to
raise your estrogen level. Alcohol also affects hormones in men. Chronic
alcohol use is associated with testicular failure and male infertility.14,15
Feminine symptoms in men suggest that alcohol may also contain biologically active phytoestrogens.16
Studies such as these suggest that if you have been diagnosed with
breast cancer or prostate cancer, and especially if you are overweight
or postmenopausal, it would be a good idea to cut back or eliminate your
alcohol intake.
In the Big Scheme of Things, Less Alcohol Is Better
I generally define "moderate" alcohol intake (which is allowed in the beginner phase of my nutrition plan)
as a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer or 1 ounce of hard liquor,
with a meal, per day. As you progress further in the nutrition plan, I
recommend eliminating all forms of alcohol. Even if it provides some
benefit, it's unlikely that alcohol will add much to an otherwise
healthy diet and lifestyle.
That said, if you're currently a drinker — whether your consumption
is moderate or you tend to overdo it — research suggests exercise can go
a long way toward mitigating the health risks, including reducing your
risk for heart disease.
This makes sense when you consider the fact that exercise may be one
of the most effective strategies for protecting and strengthening your
heart. So much so, research shows regular exercise can significantly
lower your health care costs if you have heart disease. In one study, 30
minutes of vigorous exercise, five times per week, resulted in annual
health care savings of more than $2,500 per person.17
Exercise May Mitigate Risks of Alcohol Consumption
Exercise is a foundational aspect of good health, but may be even more
important if you drink alcohol on a regular basis. According to recent
research,18chronic drinkers who exercise
five hours a week have the same rate of mortality as those who never
drink alcohol, in large part by counteracting the inflammation caused by
alcohol.19,20,21
The study looked at data from 36,370 British and Scottish adults — 85
percent of whom drank "occasionally" or "often." Thirteen percent of
them were heavy drinkers, consuming 14 or more units of alcohol per
week.
Interestingly, those who got at least 2.5 hours a week of moderately
intense exercise significantly reduced the biological impact of their
drinking. Those who exercised for five hours a week had the same
mortality risk as teetotalers, even if they were heavy drinkers. The
only ones who could not cancel out the harms of their alcohol
consumption were those who drank dangerous levels of alcohol each week
(20 or more standard drinks for women and 28 or more for men). As
reported by The Daily Mail:22
"[The study concluded:] 'Our results provide an additional
argument for the role of physical activity as a means to promote the
health of the population even in the presence of other less healthy
behaviors.' Professor Matt Field, [Ph.D.,] from the U.K. Centre for
Tobacco and Alcohol Studies at the University of Liverpool said: 'This is a rigorous piece of research with some clear
conclusions. The relationship between drinking alcohol to excess and
increased risk of death is significantly weaker in people who are
physically active. Therefore, it appears that physical activity may
partially offset some of the harmful effects of drinking, particularly
alcohol-attributable cancers.'"
Exercise Also Diminishes Risk of Alcohol Abuse
Previous research23
has also found that long-time drinkers who exercise regularly have less
damaged white matter in their brains compared to those who rarely or
never exercise. The white matter is considered the "wiring" of your
brain's communication system, and is known to decline in quality with
age and heavy alcohol consumption.
In addition to helping protect your brain, if you know you're prone to
alcohol abuse or have a family history of alcohol addiction, exercising
regularly may also reduce your risk of becoming dependent. The cravings
for alcohol can become all-consuming, and eventually alcoholics do not
feel "normal" until they've had a drink. The alcohol abuse inevitably
throws off your circadian rhythm — the normal times you eat, sleep and
wake up — as well, leading to a downward spiral of health and emotional
effects.
Alcohol chemically alters your brain to release dopamine, a chemical
your brain associates with rewarding behaviors. Exercise also triggers
the release of dopamine, along with other feel-good chemicals, which
means you can get the same "buzz" from working out that you can get from
a six-pack of beer, but with far better outcomes for your health.
Exercise is also beneficial for those who are already addicted, and may actually help to lessen cravings. In one study,24
hamsters that ran the most consumed less alcohol, while less active
hamsters had greater cravings for and consumption of alcohol. By
replacing drinking with exercise, you may find that the rewarding
feeling you get from exercise provides you with a suitable alternative
to the rewarding feeling you previously got from alcohol.
On the other hand, chronic alcohol consumption also tends to IMPEDE
your fitness goals. Working out is typically not high on the list of
priorities when you're feeling hung over. In higher doses, alcohol can
also affect testosterone production, muscle protein synthesis and
leucine oxidation, thereby impeding your ability to build muscle and
reach your fitness goals.
So, on the whole, thinking exercise will cancel out the harmful
effects of alcohol is unrealistic, and such a program may be difficult
to maintain in the long run.
Helpful Protocol to Minimize Damage of Alcohol
While I don't recommend drinking alcohol, if you know you'll be
having a few drinks, taking this natural protocol beforehand can help
"pre-tox" your body, thereby minimizing the damage associated with
alcohol consumption. Just beware that this protocol will NOT make you
less susceptible to alcohol poisoning or other acute adverse events
associated with binge drinking, so please use common sense and drink
responsibly.
• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC): NAC
is a form of the amino acid cysteine. It is known to help increase
glutathione and reduce acetaldehyde toxicity that causes many hangover
symptoms.25 Try taking NAC (at least 200 milligrams) 30 minutes before you drink to help lessen the alcohol's toxic effects.
If you're wondering just how powerful NAC can be, consider that,
like alcohol, one way that Tylenol causes damage to your liver is by
depleting glutathione. If you keep your glutathione levels up, the
damage from the acetaminophen may be largely preventable. This is why
anyone who overdoses on Tylenol receives large doses of NAC in the
emergency room — to increase glutathione. • B Vitamins: NAC is thought to work even better when combined with vitamin B1 (thiamine).26 Vitamin B6 may also help to lessen hangover symptoms. Since alcohol depletes B vitamin in your body, and the B vitamins
are required to help eliminate alcohol from your body, a B-vitamin
supplement taken beforehand, as well as the next day, may help.
• Milk Thistle: Milk
thistle contains silymarin and silybin, antioxidants known to help
protect your liver from toxins, including the effects of alcohol. Not
only has silymarin been found to increase glutathione, but it also may
help to regenerate liver cells.27
A milk thistle supplement may be most useful when taken regularly,
especially if you know you'll be having cocktails on more than one
occasion.
• Vitamin C: Alcohol may deplete your body of vitamin C,
which is important for reducing alcohol-induced oxidative stress in
your liver. Interestingly, one animal study showed vitamin C was even
more protective to the liver than silymarin (milk thistle) after
exposure to alcohol.28
Making sure you're getting enough vitamin C, either via supplements
or food, is another trick to use prior to indulging in alcoholic
beverages. Vitamin C is actually such a powerful detoxifier that if you
take large doses prior to receiving dental anesthesia, the anesthesia
will be significantly weakened and may not work.
• Magnesium: Magnesium
is another nutrient depleted by alcohol, and it's one that many are
already deficient in. Plus, magnesium has anti-inflammatory properties
that may help to reduce some hangover symptoms. If you don't eat a lot
of magnesium-rich foods, taking a magnesium supplement before an evening
involving drinking may be helpful.
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