{"id":35470,"date":"2015-12-31T11:15:26","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T16:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=35470"},"modified":"2021-05-17T06:54:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T10:54:32","slug":"facts-about-drinking-alcohol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/facts-about-drinking-alcohol\/","title":{"rendered":"How Bad Is Booze, Really? 6 Interesting Facts About Alcohol"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Facts
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ever wondered how many calories you really<\/em> consume<\/a> every time you drink? Or how alcohol actually affects your nightly zzz\u2019s? (Spoiler alert: it\u2019s not the magic sleep aid you think.) We got to the bottom of boozing\u2019s biggest urban legends. And don\u2019t worry \u2014 it\u2019s not all bad news. Drinking moderately comes with a wealth of health benefits, says Sam Zakhari, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of the Distilled Spirits Council<\/a> (DISCUS) and former Director of the Division of Metabolism and Health Effects at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism<\/a> (NIAAA). Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll want to know about how alcohol affects you when you\u2019re drinking in moderation \u2014 and what happens when you wake up knowing that last whiskey was definitely <\/em>unnecessary.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Avoid a Hangover: Your 24-Hour Timeline<\/a><\/p>\n

6 Things to Know About Drinking Alcohol Before Going Out Tonight<\/h3>\n

1. You\u2019re drinking more than you think.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A study from Cancer Research UK<\/a> suggests that the average British adult might drink around 3,740 calories of beer or 3,750 calories of alcohol while attending holiday parties this year. Even though 27 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds and 33 percent of the 25- to 34-year-olds surveyed said they had been known to skip a meal to \u201cmake room\u201d for drinking (note: not a good idea!), they still ended up imbibing so much that it would have taken seven hours of jogging<\/a> to work off all that seasonal cheer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“In terms of sheer calorie count, beer has the most \u2014 about 150 calories.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So how much should you be drinking, anyway? \u201cDefined by the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking<\/a> is no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two for men,\u201d says Dr. Zakhari. Reality check: That means 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of spirits, and 5 ounces of wine. Go forth and enjoy (moderately).<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Many Calories Are In Your Cocktail?<\/a><\/p>\n

2. You could be counting carbs all wrong. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re trying to lose weight<\/a> or get in shape<\/a>, which type of alcohol should you order? You\u2019ve got options, says David Sack, M.D., CEO of Promises Treatment Centers<\/a>. \u201cIn terms of sheer calorie count, beer has the most \u2014 about 150 calories. However, if you opt for light beer<\/a>, that\u2019s about 100 calories, which is about the same as a serving of wine or liquor,\u201d says Dr. Sack. Beer usually has around 10 to 20 grams of carbs (although strong, sweet beers have more), while lagers and stouts have the least (around 6 to 11 grams), according to Dr. Sack. If wine is your thing, a glass of red only has two grams of carbohydrates<\/a>, and keep in mind that drier wines will have fewer carbs and sugar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hard liquor actually comes in at zero sugar and carbs. That might seem like a win, but it all depends how you drink it. \u201cJust watch the mixers,\u201d recommends Dr. Sack. \u201cThere\u2019s a big difference between straight vodka and the vodka in a Cosmo,\u201d which is paired with sugary cranberry juice.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Is Alcohol Killing Your Workout?<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Your brain might benefit from booze.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest: Going overboard on drinks can make your brain feel foggy<\/a> at best, or short a few brain cells at worst. But, keep your bar tab under control and you might actually be doing your brain a favor. \u201cDrinking moderate amounts of alcohol throughout your life can actually ward off cognitive decline and improve brain function,\u201d says Dr. Zakhari. Research in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease<\/a> found that of the 489 women studied, moderate drinkers scored higher than abstinent women or heavy drinkers on a cognitive functioning test.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlcohol may help you sleep now, but you\u2019ll likely pay for it by being wakeful later.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cDecline in cognition<\/a> is usually due to the brain not receiving enough oxygen,\u201d explains Dr. Zakhari. \u201cAlcohol makes the blood more fluid, which helps the blood supply to the brain remain constant.\u201d Does the type of alcohol matter? Nope! According to Dr. Zakhari, it\u2019s about the actual alcohol, not the form it comes in.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>10 Healthy Holiday Cocktail Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Imbibing could help prevent a stroke.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every year, approximately 800,000 people<\/a> in the U.S. suffer from a stroke, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But your nightly drink might make you less likely to someday become a part of that statistic. Alcohol\u2019s blood thinning effect can help ward off strokes<\/a>. Dr. Zakhari explains that there are two types of strokes: ischemic, when a blood clot stops blood from going to parts of the brain, and hemorrhagic, when the brain bleeds too much. Around 80 percent of strokes are ischemic, which is where alcohol comes in. \u201cModerate drinking helps reduce the clotting of blood, so there\u2019s less of a possibility of a blood vessel being clogged<\/a>,\u201d says Dr. Zakhari. \u201cAnd then even if a clot does happen, alcohol can help with fibrinolysis, which is the dissolution of the clot.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Science Shows You Drink More Alcohol on Gym Days<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Alcohol might not actually be helping you sleep better. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you imbibe before bed, you might help yourself nod off<\/a>, but you\u2019re not doing your body any favors in the long run. \u201cAlcohol may help you sleep now, but you\u2019ll likely pay for it by being wakeful later,\u201d says Dr. Sack. Boozy beverages can disrupt what\u2019s known as sleep homeostasis, the process that helps your body regulate sleep, according to research in the journal Alcohol<\/a>. While alcohol is a somnogen, or sleep inducer, it can also disrupt you in the middle of the night<\/a>. \u201cThen there\u2019s the fact that relying on alcohol to help you sleep can lead to problems down the road. What tends to happen is that alcohol works less and less well as a sleep aid<\/a> over time, so we respond by increasing the amount we are drinking,\u201d says Dr. Sack.<\/p>\n

6. Even one episode of binge drinking can harm your health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an excellent reason to keep yourself in check: Overdoing it even once \u2014 yup, you read that right \u2014 can affect your health in freaky ways, says research in PLOS ONE<\/a>. Binge drinking is \u201ca pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08,\u201d according to the NIAAA<\/a>. That\u2019s about four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men within about two hours.<\/p>\n

In the study, researchers discovered binge drinkers had bacterial DNA in their bloodstreams, which was a sign bacteria had leaked out from the gut. They also discovered elevated endotoxin presence in the blood, which meant toxins had been released from cells after cell walls were damaged by booze. The consequences: These toxins could lead to fever, tissue destruction and inflammation<\/a>, which is tied to a host of health problems from cancer to depression. It sounds scary, but avoiding these issues is pretty simple if you follow Dr. Zakhari\u2019s alcohol mantra: \u201cIt\u2019s all about moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Your New Hangover Cure: An IV Treatment?<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally posted December 2014. Updated December 2015. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Tis the season for overindulging on booze. But what do you really know about the effect alcohol has on your body? Here are six science-backed facts that might surprise you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":35479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[28,31,36,59,341,343],"class_list":["post-35470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-alcohol","tag-beverages","tag-cocktails","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}