Hey Amanda,
What is the verdict on drinking alcohol? Is there a healthy way to consume it, or is it always better to give it up?
Best,
-Jackie P.
Hey Jackie,
Thanks for your question! I’ve heard it many times before- red wine is healthy because it has phytonutrients. Phytonutrients specifically found in red wine might block the effect of dioxins, which is a toxin that enters the body through diet and can present a few health concerns. You may have also heard about the antioxidant, resveratrol, which red wine has, or that red wine has 7x the antioxidant power of white wine.
Even with all of these health benefits, the best amount of alcohol you can drink is none at all. To bring the wine back- alcoholic wine actively dehydrates the body. Beverages with alcohol present a few problems. Alcoholic beverages can be carcinogenic- almost 5,000 breast cancer deaths a year may be attributed to just one drinking a day (wine or other). Even with the antioxidant power of red wine, it doesn’t change that elevated breast cancer risk.
Just because you read this though, doesn’t mean it will be helpful to throw up your hands and just continue drinking the same amount of alcohol that you drank before (or more). If one drink a day will help keep you from drinking 5 drinks a day, that is 20% more likely for you to have a less stressed liver! Try what you can where you can, and let us know how it goes!
