And most damningly, in 2023 the World Health Organisation put out a statement saying “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health”. In fact, red wine may be linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic beverage (75, 76, 77, 78, 79). 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). In fact, because heavy drinking is a major cause of depression in some individuals, treating the underlying alcohol abuse may lead to big improvements (25, 26, 27). Globally, the WHO European Region has the highest alcohol consumption level and the highest proportion of drinkers in the population. Here, over 200 million people in the Region are at risk of developing alcohol-attributable cancer.
- That usually means four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men.
- A typical adult reaches this BAC after consuming 4 or more drinks (women) or 5 or more drinks (men), in about 2 hours.
- In 2022, Americans consumed an estimated 964 million gallons of wine.
- Due to its unique biological properties, OPAC may potentiate acetaldehyde metabolism by ALDHs, and also contribute to protection from alcohol-induced liver injury after the consumption of quercetin-rich diets.
Dangers of Alcohol
These benefits are observed at doses of approximately 3–30 g/day of alcohol in women and 12–60 g/day in men. A maximum protective effect is found at 20 g average of pure alcohol intake per day. The beneficial effects of moderate alcohol intake are greater than complete abstinence but are lost when consumption is excessive 102. The Copenhagen Prospective Population Study demonstrated that wine intake may have a beneficial effect on all-cause mortality that is additive over alcohol alone 138 (Table 5). A standard drink is 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol, which generally equates to 5 ounces of wine (and roughly equivalent to 1.5 ounces of liquor or 12 ounces of beer, though variations in strength will throw that off).
Wine and Moderation: What’s Healthy?
- During pregnancy, it increases the risk of pregnancy loss and of a child having growth and developmental problems in future.
- Wine is a complex hydro-alcoholic solution containing a huge variety of different compounds; most of its phytochemicals have been isolated, identified and studied with the aim of identifying those responsible for a beneficial effect on human health.
- However, if you are already drinking red wine, then there’s no need to stop (unless you’re drinking too much).
- Various studies have shown that resveratrol may prolong life span 139.
- With that in mind, we asked four health experts to talk us through their own approaches to alcohol, to get a more realistic picture of how people in the UK approach this divisive substance.
- It has been shown that it interacts with IR-1 and SIRT1, increasing antioxidant capacity, improving metabolic health, and regulating endothelial function through activation and upregulation of eNOS while inhibiting inflammatory pathways 57.
And they might have higher incomes and better access to health care as well. Another study found that it is widely assumed that light or moderate drinking is the safest way to to drink alcohol. “Non‐drinkers, both ex‐drinkers and lifelong teetotalers, consistently show an increased prevalence of conditions likely to increase morbidity and mortality compared with occasional or light drinkers. In addition, regular light drinkers tend to have characteristics extremely advantageous to health,” the authors wrote. One reason that might explain the link between moderate drinking and lower mortality risk seen in some studies, the authors said, is that light and moderate drinkers tend to be healthier than abstainers.
Heavy Alcohol Use:
An Italian review of studies published in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that moderate wine and beer consumption reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, but spirits did not. There are many studies that discuss the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. When trying to moderate alcohol intake over the course of an evening or a week, it helps to know how much alcohol is in each drink you consume. The threshold for safe alcohol consumption is closely linked to body weight.
Although its function and biological mechanism are not entirely understood, the cytoplasmic sirtuin protein SIRT2 has been shown to increase in response to oxidative stress. Still, it promotes cell death through Forkhead Box (FOXO) proteins 84. Following the intake of red wine, the endogenous antioxidant defense systems are activated 76, such as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) 77,78. The reduction of circulating ROS levels, and consequently of the LDL oxidation process 79, depends on the expression levels of SOD and GPx. Indeed, SOD can convert the superoxide anion (O-) into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), reducing O-levels and mitochondrial DNA damage 80; H2O2 will be transformed into water by GPX1 or CAT 78. CAT, SOD and GPX increase their expression by the dietary supplementation of resveratrol and quercetin 81.
Women versus men
Despite this, the question of beneficial effects of alcohol has been a contentious issue in research for years. Hence the need for educational programs on conscious consumption aimed especially at young people to avoid alcohol excess and abuse. Polyphenols present in red wine, such as phenolic acids, stilbenes, tannins and flavonoids, such as catechin, quercetin and anthocyanins, can potentiate the endogenous antioxidant system of consumers 75. In addition, the use of specific postharvest techniques can modulate resveratrol and other stilbenes in how to drink moderately grapes; for example, postharvest UV-C irradiated grapes are a potential source for producing stilbene-enriched red wines 26. Grapes’ levels of resveratrol (and its glucoside—piceid) are affected by the grape variety, clone, meteorological conditions, soil type and cultural practices 11,12. As a rule, the higher the concentration in grapes, the higher the concentration in wine.
- Many believe that a glass each day is a valuable part of a healthy diet, while others think wine is somewhat overrated.
- Similarly, Cordain et al. 50 found that 10 weeks of wine intake equal to 6-7% of total energy intake (135 mL, five times per week) did not result in any significant change in body weight or fat percentage in 20 sedentary, overweight women.
- 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.
- Indeed, SOD can convert the superoxide anion (O-) into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), reducing O-levels and mitochondrial DNA damage 80; H2O2 will be transformed into water by GPX1 or CAT 78.
- Thus, the blood alcohol concentration builds when a person has additional drinks before prior drinks are metabolized.
Resveratrol in red wine
However, the results of the various cross-sectional and longitudinal studies examined in this review do not unequivocally support such a hypothesis. Finally, there is also evidence to suggest that traits that predispose individuals to binge drinking may also predispose to binge eating 66. For example, light to moderate drinking is linked to reduced weight gain, whereas heavy drinking is linked to increased weight gain (32, 33, 34). Consuming moderate amounts of alcohol may offer some health benefits. However, heavy drinking can have a negative impact on your mood and the function of your brain, heart, and other bodily systems.
The extent to which wasted energy from regular alcohol consumption contributes to weight gain prevention is unclear. “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.” Moreover, Stockwell et al. report that estimates of mortality risk from alcohol are significantly altered by study design and characteristics. Meta-analyses adjusting for these factors find that low-volume alcohol consumption has no net mortality benefit compared with lifetime abstention or occasional drinking 144.
