A Healthy Moderation?

It’s easy to assume that most negative effects of alcohol are associate with heavy, long term drinking; but the impact of low level alcohol consumption could be having more of a negative impact on your health goals than you might think…

Disclaimer: I am now approaching 12 months of sober curiosity (a journey I have talked about previously), and whilst this has been possibly the most empowering decision I have ever made – I don’t have issues with anyone drinking alcohol if they feel that they can do this in moderation and enjoy it as a treat!

You see, I view alcohol like milk chocolate…  Something that can be enjoyed as a treat, especially if done mindfully – yet not something that you can kid yourself is going to bring you much in the way of health benefits! 

However you choose to enjoy a tipple or two, I feel that it is important to be honest, objective and non-judgemental around the health impacts of alcohol.  Far from being a party pooper – my whole ethos in You By Anthea is to help empower you in decisions that affect your health!  This is particularly relevant when alcohol could be negating so many of the healthy choices you make, and maybe even hindering progress towards your health goals.

It’s safe to say that we are all aware of the long-term impact of heavy drinking and alcohol abuse – liver disease, cancer etc… however, the more recent research around mild, chronic drinking (eg. 1 or 2 glasses of wine a day), certainly can’t be ignored.  

Sleep

Whilst it may be true that alcohol can be have a sedative effect, and help you fall asleep quickly, your quality of sleep when drinking alcohol is poor.  Why? We sleep in cycles, and after the sedative effects wear off, the movement between deep sleep and REM sleep is disturbed. This effectively disrupts your body’s circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle.  Even just one drink at night can disturb your sleep quality.

We hear more and more about the importance of sleep for health, especially in relation to weight management, muscle recovery, anxiety and depression – so if you are looking to improve your sleep, this may be a key place to start! Maybe try incorporating more drink free days into your week to help balance your sleep quality better.

Mood

Reaching for a glass of wine can easily be done after a stressful or long day, to help relax you or lift your mood.  This is, however, very much a short-term benefit.  In the long-term alcohol can actually interfere with neurotransmitter production and negatively impact depression by lowering levels of serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmitter).  Anyone taking antidepressants is advised to avoid alcohol, not just because it can worsen symptoms, but also the side effects.

Finding a variety of methods to lift your spirits is always good for your mental health anyway!

Digestion

Our gut plays host to a whole ecosystem or healthy and harmful bacteria.  These bacteria play a vital role in your health, and alcohol can disrupt the balance of the gut environment, encouraging an overgrowth of the bad bacteria.

This imbalance can contribute to digestive symptoms such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and flatulence, as well as leaky gut, which has been associated with a number of health issues, including food intolerances, eczema, acne and autoimmune conditions.

Alcohol itself can also irritate the stomach lining and encourage excessive acid production, as well as gastric reflux and can potentially cause stomach ulcers.

If you’re eating a diet rich in probiotic food and prebiotic foods (to feed the good gut bacteria) then it’s definitely worth considering what you might be killing off with alcohol.

Hormonal Balance

The balance of hormones within our body greatly affects our wellbeing, and alcohol can disrupt a number of these, including; increasing levels of cortisol (our stress hormone), lowering testosterone and human growth hormone levels (vital for muscle repair and growth), and it can also impact how your body metabolises oestrogen.  This latter affect is thought to be linked to the increased risk of breast cancer.  This risk increase is for more than one drink a day for women, and more than two drinks a day for men. 

Weight Loss

As well as the obvious sugar content, and caloric value of alcohol itself, alcohol can negatively impact weight loss efforts through hormonal imbalance (outlined above) and through its disruption in your blood sugar balance and insulin release. 

What about the antioxidants?

We’ve all heard about the benefits of resveratrol antioxidants in red wine to support heart health – the reality is that you can get more of these from berries, such as blueberries, which don’t have the same negative impact as alcoholic drinks.  And the quantity of red wine you’d have to drink to get the same benefits as they found in mice studies, goes well beyond healthy levels! 

In fact most research of alcohol offering heart health benefits has been based on observational studies, and so no direct link can be strongly inferred.

So what now?

I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, but much of the information available around mild to moderate levels of drinking is just not as visible as it could be – and my mission is always to empower you! 

If you can drink alcohol mindfully and enjoy it as a treat, then enjoy! Sober October can be a great way to give your body and mind a breather from the effects of alcohol and reintroduce some healthier habits in the long term!