How much alcohol is good for health and how much it harms it when consumed daily.
For decades, scientists believed that wine, especially red wine, was a health food and that a glass or two a day could protect us from heart disease.
However, more recent findings they challenge old knowledge and suggest that Like all delicious things in life, so is wine should be consumed regularly and not every day. Here’s what the latest research on the subject shows.
Even one glass of wine increases the risk of cancer
The World Health Organization could not have been more clear than in January 2023 Published in the medical journal The Lancet Public Health made it clear that no amount can be considered safe when it comes to alcohol.
The key word in his statement is alcohol (ethanol). As he explained, alcohol is a toxic and carcinogenic substance. It belongs to the highest level of danger, along with asbestos, radioactivity and smoking. And it causes at least seven types of cancer, including:
- Colon
- From the chest
- From the liver
- From the esophagus
Especially in the European Union, even “moderate” drinking of alcohol is linked to about 23,000 new cases of cancer each year. “Average amount” is defined as an indication of 1.5 liters of wine per week (ie 215 ml of wine per day).
Unfortunately for wine lovers recommended average consumption until recently doctors alike for good heart health 1 glass a day for women and 1-2 red wines for men. These amounts to reach or pass respectively “moderate amounts” that cause so many cancers in the EU.
In other words, drink wine even moderately increases the risk of cancer, According to WHO.
It does not improve cardiovascular health
in 2022 Published in JAMA Network Open medical journal Results of a study of 371,463 volunteers from Britain. Their average age was 57. The study was cleverly designed to not only look at alcohol consumption in relation to cardiovascular problems. This includes the volunteers’ general lifestyle, as well as their genetic predisposition to developing cardiovascular problems.
The researchers came to this conclusion alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk development of heart problems. It was true even for volunteers who drink a little. In addition, any protective effect of alcohol, can be explained by other good habits from lifestyle.
It lowers the quality of sleep
If movies and TV shows are to be believed, a glass of wine is just what you need to unwind after a hard day at work. The truth is that alcohol is actually a sedative and can induce sleep. But without knowing it, it can disturb your sleep!
American scientists conducted in 2018 Experiment with 24 volunteers aged 21-55. The volunteers suffered from insomnia, but none of them drank alcohol. The researchers divided them into groups and asked some to drink a non-alcoholic drink every night before going to bed.
The second night alcohol eased their sleep. But they had just reached the sixth night, its effect wore off, and the volunteers drank more and more to fall asleep. However, increased alcohol consumption is associated with poorer quality and more sleep problems. according to other studies.
A little wine is not enough for the antioxidants in it to benefit us
Until recently, scientists believed that red wine was good for cardiovascular health Thanks to the resveratrol in its composition. It is a really good antioxidant. But how much should we consume to reap the benefits?
There is no clear answer to this because resveratrol, for example, is not an essential nutrient. vitamin C. For this reason, the recommended daily dose has not been established. However, animal studies have shown how it is Amounts equivalent to 1 gram (1000 mg) are needed per day for therapeutic benefit.
However, red wine contains only 2 mg of resveratrol per liter. Therefore, to reach a therapeutic level, you need to drink endless liters of wine a day. Actually, in fact, “Therapeutic doses of resveratrol cannot be obtained by drinking wine or other food sources.», experts say.
So don’t think that drinking wine every day is good for your health. You may feel good and like it, but there are no physical benefits. And if you don’t drink, there’s no reason to start. In any case, it is advisable to limit consumption to less than one glass per day