Every coin has two sides and so does drinking alcohol. Many cannot call a day well spent without drinking at least a glass. The question is if alcohol helps our health or deteriorates it. Alcohol consists of calories that we do not require. It can also make one prone to binge eating which will lead to gaining a few extra pounds.
So, the claims that drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages are good for health can be false and baseless. There are also some myths regarding drinking alcohol that must be busted. In the following, some bitter truths and terrible myths regarding alcohol consumption have been discussed and untangled for you.
New scientific results
Like many others, probably you too have heard how good alcohol can be for your health. Many researchers have compared the health of non-drinkers with those who drink regularly to show that alcohol consumption can actually be good for you. However, a recent scientific study nullifies the results procured beforehand. It was conducted on women above the age of 50 and shows that only women over 65 can benefit from drinking alcohol. Craig Knott led the study, and the results were published in British Medical Journal. The researchers scrutinized the health reports of around 50,000 men and women aged above fifty to come to the conclusion that the benefits of drinking alcohol are limited.
The researchers feel that results of previous studies regarding the same matter were faulty and over-hyped. Even the slightest evidence of alcohol being beneficial for the drinkers were emphasized and publicized by the alcohol manufacturers in an attempt to popularize drinking. After going through the Meta analysis of 34 previous studies, Knott and his associates have found that the previous groups of scientists always made the mistake of comparing non-drinkers and drinkers.
The group of non-drinkers also includes people who used to drink but have stopped now. People who have stopped drinking still show the after effects of drinking for a long time. Counting them among non-drinkers changed the results of previous studies.
Don’t believe the myths to be truths
Even though the benefits of drinking alcohol are doubtful, you should be able to distinguish between myths regarding alcohol consumption and facts. Some people believe that if one drinks alcohol, the body starts converting whatever they eat into fat. Well, the body cannot really convert all you eat into fat but it stops digesting nutrient rich foods when you consume lots of alcohol with food. If you indulge in binge eating along with drinking, then the unnecessary calories will be turned into fat.
The body will be too busy in getting rid of the toxins from alcohol to deal with the excess calories. This may make you turn fat. Alcohol can reduce the effect of a hormone named leptin. This hormone signals the brain when to stop craving food and stop eating. When you drink too much alcohol, this hormone will not affect your brain and make you eat more than necessary. Alcohol supplies more calories than necessary yet does not quench hunger. This makes one eat more than usual leading to fat gain. However, if you consciously choose less calorie-laden foods with your drink then the alcohol will affect your brain with less intensity.
Summary
Alcohol is not as beneficial to health as some believe it to be. It expands the life span of women above the age of 65 by 6 years but does not offer any other considerable benefits. Drink moderately and pair alcohol with diet friendly food options for preventing weight gain.