Drinking — Still a Mixed Bag of Good and Bad

by James B. LaValle

Red Wine
It’s always encouraging to hear that something you enjoy, such as a food or beverage, has exceptional nutritional value or prevents a disease.

Recently, red wine and even alcohol, in general, have been headlines because moderate amounts of alcohol seem to be protective against heart disease. Alcohol decreases the stickiness of blood cells so they’re less likely to form a clot, and it prevents constriction of coronary arteries; both are scenarios that may lead to a heart attack.1

Researchers are trying sort out whether the benefits come from the alcohol itself or from other substances — like resveratrol in red wine. To me it’s pretty clear that flavonoids like resveratrol have tremendous benefits.

But the point is, the research clearly shows moderate drinkers have less risk of death from heart disease than people who don’t drink at all. The research has been so strong that some experts think the leap should be made to recommend moderate drinking to everyone as a way to reduce heart disease risk.2

This is great news for those of us who enjoy our glass of red wine with dinner, but remember, when you see these types of headlines, there’s almost always more to the story. For instance, heavy drinkers have an increased risk of death from heart disease.3-4

So, in regards to alcohol actually being “good for you” — some researchers are saying, “Not so fast.” Aside from concerns about who might go on to develop drinking problems (since alcohol can be highly addictive for some people), there are other concerns.

One concern is that alcohol may increase cancer risk. Alcohol is most strongly linked to cancers of the esophagus, the mouth, the pharynx, and the larynx, though admittedly this is with heavier consumption.1 However, alcohol consumption has also been linked to increased colon and breast cancer risk.1,5,6

Another caution — women are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol. A brand new study showed that alcohol, even in the moderate intakes that reduce risk of mortality from heart disease, shrinks the brain. You heard right! We all lose some brains cells as we age, to the tune of about 2% of our brain volume per decade, but women who drink even lightly or moderately lose more than non-drinkers. For men, only heavy drinking contributed to higher brain shrinkage.7 So women need to be especially cautious with their alcohol intake, but men can be affected if their intake gets too high.

If the average person knew more about the byproducts of alcohol metabolism, I think they would agree that we should “proceed with caution” when we drink.

Remember, alcohol, also known as “ethanol,” is a drug that must be metabolized by enzymes in our liver. It puts a big burden on the body and depletes several nutrients in the process. The breakdown byproducts of alcohol are acetaldehyde and methanol.

Methanol breaks down to formaldehyde. Acetaldehyde and formaldehyde are both known carcinogens. Formaldehyde damages DNA. Acetaldehyde binds to thiamin, inactivating it and destroying folate. It also lowers cellular energy production and interferes with neurotransmitters. And it is known that alcohol enhances the effects of other carcinogens in the body.

I find it’s a person’s base level of health that may make them more prone to the negative effects of alcohol. For example, acetaldehyde can be formed internally by yeast organisms in the gut. So anyone who has known yeast infection problems (fungal nails, chronic sinus infections, or vaginal yeast infections) will be more prone to the negative effects of alcohol because their body already has a lot of acetaldehyde to deal with, without giving it more from drinking.

Remarkably, the body still has a tremendous capacity to handle alcohol, especially if you have good base health and good nutritional intake.

Since most (though not all) of the negative effects of alcohol occur with heavier drinking, what is the bottom line? Make sure you keep your drinking at the moderate level and you have good overall health and nutrition habits to support efficient alcohol metabolism.

Men generally can easily handle two drinks per day. Women however need to be careful, and make sure not to exceed one drink per day to avoid all negative effects. (One drink = 5 oz wine, 12 oz beer, or 1 1/2 oz hard liquor.)

References

1. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa45.htm
2. Goldberg DM, et al. Clin Biochem. 32(7): 505-518.
3. Archives of Internal Medicine. 24th July 2006 Volume 166 pages 1490-1497.
4. Elsevier Health Sciences (2008, March 10). Moderate Alcohol Consumption In Middle Age Can Lower Cardiac Risk, Study Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com- /releases/2008/03/080307073045.htm
5. http://www.dslrf.org/breastcancer/content.asp?CATID=60&L2=2&L3=8&L4=0&PID=&sid=132&cid=596
6. Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, et al. AJCH 83 (4) 895-904.
7. Arch Neurol. 2008;65(10):1278-1280.