Good to know: alcohol really isn’t that bad for you

Two glasses a day, red wine only, or better no alcohol at all? In recent years, you’ve read one health fact after another about alcohol. Professor Tim Spector compared a whole stack of scientific studies on alcohol and public health, and his conclusion is: alcohol really isn’t that bad.

Government campaigns and the food police warn about alcohol: it’s bad for your heart, increases your risk of developing cancer, and harms your liver. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises drinking no more than a glass of wine or beer a day, and definitely going alcohol-free for a few days each week.

49 drinks a week

Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology and author of the book Spoon-Fed, in which he examines food myths, is surprised by the difference between that guideline and the advice given in other parts of the world. In Chile, for example, six drinks a day is considered ‘low risk’, as long as you limit yourself to a maximum of 49 drinks a week. Interesting, because how harmful is alcohol really?

Stop binge drinking

Heavy drinking is bad for your health—that much is also crystal clear to Dr Spector. In the United States, around 10 percent of people who drink alcohol become addicted. The consequences: liver disease, psychological misery and premature death, sometimes by suicide.

Moreover, binge drinking is an expensive hobby for society when you consider the costs of injuries, sick leave, traffic accidents, domestic violence, hospital care and police involvement. According to Tim, we should stay well away from that, but what about those one or two glasses a day? Weren’t they simply convivial and healthy in the past?

Heart and mind

Light to moderate drinking—meaning those maximum two glasses a day—is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This is shown by lifestyle research, in which moderate drinkers were compared with teetotallers and heavy drinkers; both of those groups had more cardiovascular disease. That was why the British government set the recommended daily amount at one to two glasses a day. American research showed that people who stick to this also have a lower risk of memory loss and dementia in middle age.

Happy gut

But did you know that alcohol is also good for your gut? Recent research shows that the bacteria in your intestines benefit enormously from the occasional drink. Red wine in particular makes your gut happy, because the polyphenols in the wine—compounds that come from grape skins—greatly increase the diversity of the microbiome in the gut, which is positive.

Dry January

Dr Tim is surprised by Dry January. Not by the month or the initiative itself, but by the fact that so many participants say they feel much better during a month without alcohol than with it. They sleep better, have more energy and feel fitter. How does that work? Going dry for a period is indeed very good, he concludes from the research. Scientists therefore advise drinking soft drinks for a day or a few days a week instead of wine. Such a long break as in January really isn’t a bad idea either.

Everyone is different

According to him, too little attention is paid to the differences between people, because some can tolerate alcohol much better than others. Women generally derive slightly fewer health benefits from alcohol, and people of East Asian descent lack an enzyme necessary for breaking down alcohol.

In that case, a one size fits all recommendation from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre doesn’t really make sense. Men can drink slightly more than women, and if you get drunk quickly or have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or other conditions that alcohol can negatively affect, you should moderate your intake.

Social

One important aspect that Tim Spector says is often overlooked: many people enjoy alcohol. It can strengthen social bonds, which research shows is in fact very healthy. His conclusion after all his puzzling, comparing and calculating: drink in moderation, and above all, enjoy it.

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