The truth about alcohol and health
Today, I am going to address a subject that is based on a lot of bad science and myth. I am referring to the idea that moderate alcohol consumption offers health benefits.
Many people want to believe that having a glass or two of red wine or other alcoholic beverage on a near daily basis is good for their health. But it is not true…
My position is likely to rub some people the wrong way. But please hear me out as I explain how we got where we are and what science shows us today.
First, where did the promotion of wine as a health food get started? The big moment was in 1991, on an episode of 60 Minutes, when the late Morley Safer brought the idea that red wine consumption was responsible for the “French Paradox,” which referred to the lower risk for death due to cardiovascular disease in the French population despite higher dietary cholesterol levels.
The French Paradox was attributed to the presence of antioxidant polyphenols in wine, especially red wine. The compound resveratrol received a lot of the credit, but the resveratrol content in a 5-oz glass of red wine ranges from only 0.03 to 1.07 mg, while in white wine it ranges from 0.01-0.27 mg.
Subsequent studies showed this very low level of resveratrol is not associated in any benefit in reducing cardiovascular, cancer, or all-cause mortality.
That led researchers to focus on the presence of other polyphenols with antioxidant properties in wine and their potential cardiovascular benefits.
If you follow my newsletters, you know that I am a HUGE fan of a high intake of dietary polyphenols, especially flavonoids. My personal daily goal is getting at least 500 mg of from a wide variety of dietary sources. I also get at least 1,500 mg additional flavonoids through supplementation and I also take 500 mg of resveratrol.
I would have to drink 2,500 glasses of red wine to provide an equivalent amount of flavonoids and resveratrol that I get from my diet and supplements.
My point is that you don’t need to drink wine to get these compounds. In fact, drinking wine is not going to appreciably increase your intake of polyphenols. Focus on dietary sources like berries, citrus, cacao, green tea, legumes, etc.
Next, let’s try to look at the term “moderate consumption”. The American Heart Association and other medical organizations in the U.S. imply that drinking in moderation provides some health benefit, but newer data shows that it does not.
First, the term “moderate” alcohol consumption is generally referred to as the intake of 100 to 200 g of alcohol per week. That is a lot of alcohol…
One bottle of wine (750 ml) contains five glasses of wine with each glass providing 5 oz of wine and the equivalence to 14 g of pure alcohol. So, 100 to 200 g of alcohol per week translates to one or two 5-oz glasses of wine per day.
Does a weekly intake of 100 to 200 g of alcohol promote health or longevity? Based upon a combination of non-alcohol industry funded population-based studies and newer genetic analyses, the answer is a strong no.
In fact, according to a detailed meta-analysis in the medical journal The Lancet, a weekly intake of 200 g of alcohol compared to 100 mg carries with it a loss of 1-2 years of life expectancy at age 40 years old.
Despite evidence to the contrary, where alcohol intake may show some health benefits is limited to people over forty years old who have a “limited” consumption of alcohol. That translates to less than one glass of wine per week or longer. That is a much lower intake than one or two glasses of wine per day.
And according to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in people under the age of 40, alcohol consumption
at any level is associated with no health benefits at all and only harm.
As for my personal alcohol intake, it is very limited. I might have a half a glass of wine or beer once or twice a year at most.
I also had a great experience a few years back that really supported that I was on the right track. I had a complete brain imaging scan by Dr. Daniel Amen. I was nervous because Alzheimer’s disease runs in my family.
I was watching Dr. Amen while he examined my scan. His face showed amazement and he told me “I love your brain! I have serious brain envy.”
He wanted to know what I was doing differently than many of the other health experts and doctors he had evaluated. And by the way, Dr. Amen has scanned over 100,000 brains. More than anyone else on this planet.
I told him about my diet and all of the supplements that I take, but what he really wanted to know was if I drank any alcohol. He told me that he felt that was the biggest difference with me compared to so many others.
Dr. Amen told me that what he has observed is that even a regular glass of wine a day is enough to show negative findings on a brain scan. He also told me that I would NEVER get Alzheimer’s disease given all of the love I have bathed my brain in for most of my life in the form of super nutrition and dietary supplements.
Despite laying out my thoughts above, I realize that many people are not going to give up their belief that having drink or two almost every day for their health…
So, with that in mind. I want to give you some clear recommendations you can follow to support your liver and brain to potentially mitigate the damage caused by moderate alcohol intake.
The most important dietary guidelines for supporting good liver function are to avoid refined sugar and flour products, drink at least 48 ounces of water each day, and consume plenty of vegetables for a variety of reasons, especially for their high water-soluble fiber content and rich supply of detoxifying enhancing phytochemicals.
There are some specific foods that are particularly helpful because they contain the nutrients and phytochemicals your body needs to produce and activate the dozens of enzymes involved in the various phases of detox. Such foods include:
- Garlic, legumes, onions, eggs, and other foods with a high sulfur content
- Good sources of water-soluble fibers, such as pears, oat bran, apples, and legumes
- Cabbage-family vegetables, especially broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage
- Artichokes, beets, carrots, dandelion greens, and many herbs and spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger