Does alcohol have medicinal properties

Most often, people drink alcohol to “forget their misery” (Proverbs 31, 6). Alcohol is widely believed to have a variety of health benefits.

Numerous studies have shown that those who drink a little alcohol regularly have a lower risk of stroke, heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes.

Men should limit their alcohol intake to one or two drinks per day, and women can have half that amount. Women’s blood-alcohol level is higher when they drink the same amount.

Moderate drinking requires discipline and self-awareness. It’s not surprising that these people have less health problems.

What could it look like?

Researchers have tried to prove the direct effects of alcohol on health and well-being.

Alcohol, for example, has positive effects on HDL cholesterol. It is known as the “good cholesterol” because those with high HDL levels have a lower risk of stroke and heart disease.

Why would more selective strategies for increasing HDL cholesterol be completely unsuccessful when it comes to preventing heart disease if alcohol is the cause?

Most alcoholic beverages also contain antioxidants. Becky Stern, CC BY-SA

It is said that drinking a glass of wine before or after dinner can be beneficial. The social drinking pattern may be easier to regulate. Alcohol is also more intoxicating when food is in the stomach.

Drinking with food can also delay stomach emptying. It may also have benefits by slowing down the flow of sugars and fatty acids into the bloodstream.

Not only red wine but many other alcoholic beverages also contain antioxidants. Some beers and cidres contain high levels of antioxidants. These may even be more potent or better absorbed than the antioxidants in wine.

The medicinal effects of taking antioxidants in the amount found in one glass of wine every day are also unclear. Even in high doses, there are few health benefits.

What is better, beer or spirit?

In some side-by-side trials, red wine appears to perform better than beer or spirits in terms of surrogate health markers such as vascular rigidity and oxidative strain.

When you compare the overall health of moderate wine drinkers with those who drink beer or scotch every night, it appears that they are similar.

This does not mean that they are both equally healthy. One of the reasons wine is so popular among wine drinkers is because they have a lifestyle that allows for a limited but regular intake.

Beer has its advantages, as it contains less alcohol and can be consumed while the wine bottle remains open. The alcohol content of light beers is also reduced. This reduces the risk of intoxication or abuse. Some light beers are lower in calories and still retain flavor as well as flavanoids.

The downward slide

It is important to realize that drinking excessively is the leading cause of preventable deaths, especially among young men and women, but increasingly also in younger adults. Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to the global disease burden, more than smoking.

One beer can easily turn into two. Kai Schreiber, CC BY-SA

Alcohol impairs the function of the brain, in particular the frontal cortex, where we plan our actions. We lose some inhibitions when this part of the brain is intoxicated. Alcohol is relaxing because it takes away our worries. This can lead to poor choices such as violence, dancing on tables, or driving errors.

As you drink more alcohol, other brain areas are affected. This can lead to a slurred voice, blurred vision, and other drunken symptoms.

Heavy drinkers have more heart disease, hypertension, dementia, and [some cancers](especially breast and colon cancer). Even binge drinking can increase the risk of chronic diseases.

These associations, rather than being due to alcohol being toxic, are likely to be due to the characteristics and lifestyle of those who drink more.

Both alcohol and food should be shared as a common pleasure. Both require restraint. Even a small glass of wine can quickly turn into more, particularly if the bottle has already been opened. It’s sometimes better to avoid drinking altogether than continue down this slippery path.