The Advantage and Disadvantage of Drinking Alcohol

 

If you don't normally drink alcohol, there's no good reason to start now. In fact, health experts say there isn't a safe level of drinking alcohol, as alcohol use is the seventh leading risk factor for deaths globally, according to a landmark August 2018 study in ​The Lancet​.

But if you like to kick back with a glass of wine or a cold beer every now and then, there are safer ways to drink — and the first step is to curb your intake.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people assigned female at birth (AFAB) limit their intake to one alcoholic drink per day and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) only have up to two drinks. What does that look like exactly? Here's a breakdown from the CDC:

12 ounces of beer (5 percent alcohol content)

8 ounces of malt liquor (7 percent alcohol content)

5 ounces of wine (12 percent alcohol content)

1.5 ounces or a shot of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor, such as gin, rum, vodka and whiskey

One way to approach alcohol is to think about why you want to drink. Will it help you relax and feel good? Or will it make your anxiety worse? Are you using it to cope with personal issues going on in your life?

"Pace yourself and make sure you are mindful of your motivations for drinking. If you are drinking to avoid feelings or out of boredom, it can be helpful to engage in another healthier activity or call a friend," Alana Kessler, RD, functional and holistic nutrition and wellness expert, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

How alcohol affects someone depends on the person, so if you do drink, make sure to limit yourself to the appropriate amount of drinks per day and be mindful of how it affects you.

Your liver metabolizes alcohol, but it can metabolize only a small amount at a time, so any excess alcohol continues to circulate throughout your body, per the CDC. Whether you're sipping on a martini or brandy, the effects of alcohol will largely depend on the amount you take in and not so much on the type of alcohol you drink.  In small amounts, alcohol can uplift your mood, but as you drink more, it can impair your vision, motor skills, memory and judgment.

All that said, here are some pros and cons of alcohol. Remember, the benefits don't outweigh the disadvantages of drinking alcohol — so, again, don't start drinking if you haven't been.

Benefits of Drinking Alcohol

There are many reasons why people drink alcohol — in fact, there are potential benefits of alcohol if you drink in moderation. Here's how alcohol can help the body:

1. It's Linked to Better Heart Health

Some types of alcohol are better protectants than others — red wine, for instance, has a high concentration of polyphenols called resveratrol that are linked to helping prevent coronary heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"The flavonoids and antioxidants in wine can be beneficial for the heart and blood vessels, as well as for people with type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes can produce a lot of free radicals because of poor sugar metabolism," Kessler says.

However, these health-supporting properties have shown to be beneficial only when you drink less alcohol. For example, a February 2017 study in ​The Lancet Public Health​ found that drinking in moderation does not appear to worsen blood pressure. But for those who drink more than two drinks per day, reducing alcohol can improve blood pressure.

High cholesterol is also major risk factor for stroke and heart disease, particularly non-high-density lipoproteins, or LDL cholesterol, which can build up inside your arteries and affect cardiovascular health, per the CDC. High-density lipoproteins (HDL cholesterol), on the other hand, is known as the "good" cholesterol as it helps your body get rid of LDL.

And an April 2017 review in the ​​American Journal of Clinical Nutrition​​ found that moderate drinking led to slower decreases in HDL cholesterol levels, depending on the type of beverage.

2. It's Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

This health benefit of alcohol may come as a surprise, but moderate drinking might help lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a September 2016 review in the ​​American Journal of Public Health​​.​

Per the research, people AFAB who drink one to two drinks per day have 40 percent lower risk of developing this disease compared to people who don't drink alcohol. Drinking 15 grams of alcohol per day was also linked to potentially improving insulin sensitivity, which can help prevent diabetes.

A 12-year follow-up August 2017 study in ​​Scientific Reports​​ similarly found that light to moderate alcohol intake may have protective effects.

On the other hand, though, it's important to note that both studies showed an increased risk for diabetes with higher alcohol consumption. For instance, the ​Scientific Reports​ research found that drinking more than 30 grams of alcohol per day may up your risk for diabetes.

3. It's Linked to Helping Prevent Other Chronic Diseases

When coupled with a well-balanced diet like the Mediterranean Diet, for instance, low-to-moderate wine intake can help improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation.

A November 2019 review in ​Nutrients​ suggests that the polyphenols in red wine can help prevent chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress.

The review also highlights how low-to-moderate wine intake is tied to helping decrease total cholesterol in people with dyslipidemia, high cholesterol in postmenopausal people, blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance in those with metabolic syndrome.

Furthermore, a small May 2012 study in ​The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition​ suggests that red wine may provide some prebiotic benefits and might help promote gut-friendly bacteria.

4. It's Tied to Better Cognitive Function

Another health benefit of moderate alcohol use is that it may be tied to better brain health in older adults.

A June 2020 study in ​JAMA Network Open​ of 19,887 people with a mean age of about 62 years old found that low to moderate drinking (which equated to 8 drinks per week for people AFAB and less than 15 drinks per week for people AMAB) was significantly associated with consistently high cognitive function and a lower rate of cognitive decline.

And here's where it gets even more interesting: Compared to people who never drink, those who drink low to moderate amounts of alcohol were less likely to have a low total cognitive function, mental status, word recall and vocabulary.

It's worth noting that the majority of the participants in this study were people AFAB. The study authors also acknowledge that people who are healthier at baseline may be more likely to participate in social activities where alcohol is present, which may affect the link between alcohol intake and health status (a bias that applies to a lot of research about alcohol's effects).

A September 2016 review in the ​​American Journal of Public Health​​ likewise found that people AFAB who have up to one drink per day are less likely to experience cognitive decline. They also face a lower risk of sudden cardiac death, hypertension, stroke and all-cause mortality compared to those drinking more than one serving of alcohol daily.

However, other evidence is conflicting.

For instance, a June 2017 study in the ​​BMJ​​ found that light drinking has no advantages over abstinence. Furthermore, the risk of right-sided hippocampal atrophy (which can contribute to Alzheimer's disease and impaired memory) is three times higher in adults who drink moderately.

And, per the Alzheimer's Society, some studies may not be accurate because they don't differentiate between former drinkers and lifetime non-drinkers.

People who formerly had alcohol use disorder, for example, may have already experienced brain damage to some degree compared to people who have never drank. That may in part be because drinking heavily can lead to thiamine deficiency, which can damage the memory-making centers of your brain, per the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

This lack of thiamine from heavy drinking can also lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a degenerative brain disorder that damages cognitive function, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The Disadvantages of Drinking Alcohol Heavily

On the other hand, there are disadvantages of drinking alcohol. Here are the reasons why you should not drink alcohol heavily:

1. It Can Cause Liver Damage

The disadvantages of alcohol use appear when you turn moderate drinking to heavy or binge drinking.

"Heavy alcohol consumption can tax the liver because the liver is the organ that filters alcohol. If the liver has to filter alcohol, it can produce metabolites that are harmful to your health and can cause diseases like fatty liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis," Kessler says.

2. It Can Harm Your Digestive Tract

Another disadvantage of alcohol in the human body is that it has been shown to damage the entire gastrointestinal tract. Ethanol can cause direct damage to the esophagus, intestine and stomach, in addition to the liver and pancreas, according to an October 2014 review in the ​World Journal of Gastroenterology.​

3. It's Tied to Cancer

Here's another reason why you shouldn't drink alcohol heavily: Research has linked it to a number of cancers, including breast, liver and colon cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

Alcohol may stimulate cancerous tumor growths and promote the progression and aggressiveness of tumors, according to a January 2017 review in ​Pharmacological Research​.

Moreover, drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol is associated with an elevated risk of colon cancer, especially those with a family history of the disease, per a January 2012 study in ​The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition​.

4. It's Linked to Heart Problems

There are advantages and disadvantages of drinking wine — after all, sipping it in moderation may contribute to heart health. But chronic excessive drinking (wine or otherwise) can up your risk for heart conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure and stroke, according to the CDC.

That's because alcohol can increase blood pressure and heart rate and contribute to obesity, all of which and can damage the heart. This is especially the case if you drink frequently and in high amounts.

"Heavy drinking for [people AMAB] is equal to 15 or more drinks a week, and for [people AFAB], it's eight or more drinks per week," Kessler says.

5. It's Associated With Osteoporosis

Another reason not to drink heavily is that it's linked to an increased risk for osteoporosis, particularly in young people AFAB, according to a June 2018 study in the ​Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs​.

While osteoporosis — which is characterized by low bone mineral density — is usually more apparent in older adults, drinking too much alcohol in early adulthood can inhibit young adults from reaching their peak bone mass.