Originally published in The Wall Street Journal by Brianna Abbott and Josh Ulick
“You can probably assume that the tequila shot staring at you from the sticky bartop isn’t good for you. But what about that glass of red wine at dinner?
Some Americans have long been sold on the so-called health benefits of red wine, partly because of animal studies that touted the promise of an antioxidant called resveratrol to fight against a range of diseases. But scientists have debunked that concept in recent years, since a person would need to consume an impossibly large amount of wine to see an effect.
Instead, when it comes to health risks such as cancer, evidence shows that it matters less what type of alcohol you drink. What is important is how much you drink and how you drink it.
The current U.S. guidelines say that people who consume alcohol should limit their intake to a drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. A standard drink is considered about 0.6 fluid ounce of pure alcohol: a 12-ounce can of beer that has 5% alcohol, a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12% alcohol, or a 1.5-ounce shot glass of 80-proof liquor.
But many beers, pours of wine and cocktails include significantly more than that. And most people are probably drinking more alcohol than they realize, according to scientists.
William C. Kerr, PhD
“Drinks are bigger than people think, especially at bars and restaurants,” said William Kerr, scientific director of the nonprofit Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group.
The more alcohol a person drinks, the greater the health risks. Whether you are drinking beer, wine or hard liquor, alcohol in the body briefly breaks down into a compound called acetaldehyde, a carcinogen that can damage DNA. Alcohol can also increase inflammation and alter levels of hormones including estrogen, contributing to breast-cancer risk.
Scientists are still debating how much alcohol is too much. But studies show that alcohol consumption can disrupt sleep, weaken the immune system, and raise risks for some cancers and heart and liver diseases in the long term.
Binge-drinking—four or more drinks for a woman and five or more drinks for a man in a short period of time—is worse than having the same amount stretched throughout the week, according to researchers.
“If you drink more within a confined period, it’s harder for your body to process it,” said Mary Beth Terry, a cancer epidemiologist at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. “If you drink slower and drink less, that’s much better than drinking fast.”
It is also safer to consume alcohol with food, rather than on an empty stomach, to slow down absorption into your system, according to researchers. People should also stay hydrated and watch the sugar and calorie content. Sugary drinks are linked to their own health concerns.
People regularly underreport how much alcohol they drink, studies show.
“A lot of people are not moderate but they’re heavy drinkers, and they don’t know it,” said Dr. Aashish Didwania, a professor of general internal medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.”
