{"id":48264,"date":"2016-03-17T07:15:10","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T11:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48264"},"modified":"2021-09-18T05:12:25","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T09:12:25","slug":"benefits-of-alcohol-wine-whiskey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/benefits-of-alcohol-wine-whiskey\/","title":{"rendered":"From Wine to Whiskey: 7 Surprising Health Benefits of Alcohol"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"From
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s be real: \u201cHealthy\u201d isn\u2019t necessarily the first word you\u2019d think of to describe alcohol. But whether your drink of choice is a cosmo or a double IPA, there are benefits to sipping in moderation<\/a>. Here are some of the seriously surprising perks that may come with imbibing your favorite beverages \u2014\u00a0plus what to keep in mind when ordering another round at the bar.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Your Body\u2026on Booze<\/a><\/p>\n

7 Surprising Health Benefits of Alcohol (Plus, the Fine Print!)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Beer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Benefits:<\/strong> Who knew brewskis could be so good for your bod? From lowering your risk of heart disease<\/a>, Alzheimer\u2019s disease and dementia<\/a> to strengthening your bones<\/a> and lowering your risk for kidney stones<\/a>, there are plenty of legitimate science-backed reasons to tip back a pint of your favorite brew.<\/p>\n

The Fine Print: <\/strong>We hate to break it to you, but all the health benefits of beer go out the window when you have more than a couple drinks. The CDC recommends<\/a> sticking to one or two beers a day, or it all goes bust.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Beer Before Liquor and Other Booze Myths, Busted<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Champagne<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Benefits:<\/strong> Pop, clink, fizz \u2014\u00a0faster memory? One 2013 animal study<\/a> found that drinking one to three glasses a week might help improve your memory and delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders, like dementia. That\u2019s because Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, two red grapes used in the production of champagne are high in phenolics compounds, which the researchers believe have brain-boosting benefits.<\/p>\n

The Fine Print:<\/strong> If you do decide to pop a bottle, keep in mind that champagne is notorious for its hangovers<\/a>: The gas from the bubbles speeds up the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream, so sip slowly to avoid going overboard. And always open the bottle away <\/em>from your face. No one needs a champagne cork injury<\/a>!<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Bad Is Your Happy Hour? Try This Alcohol Calculator<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Vodka
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Benefits: <\/strong>Vodka could be the ideal drink for your next post-work happy hour. Experts have found it helps relieve stress<\/a> better than red wine. Who knew? And that vodka and cranberry juice might even help boost creativity<\/a>, according to one study in the journal Consciousness and Cognition. <\/em>Researchers found that men who sipped this pink cocktail performed 30 percent better on a word-association test than sober dudes.<\/p>\n

The Fine Print:<\/strong> The taste of vodka is easily masked by juices and other mixers, so make sure you know how much liquor is poured into your drink. The National Institues of Health<\/a> says one \u201cstandard drink\u201d should contain no more than 1.5 fluid ounces of liquor (one-and-a-half shots). Just because you can\u2019t taste it, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not there. Plus, be aware that\u00a0sugary mixers can add tons of extra calories to every sip \u2014 and maybe even exacerbate your hangover<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n

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

4. Gin<\/strong><\/h3>\n

“Many people report that drinking tequila makes them act ‘crazy’ or angry. What\u2019s more likely is that your mood affects your choice of drink.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Benefits:<\/strong> Your gin likely gets its pine-y flavor from juniper berries<\/a>, which can act as a diuretic<\/a>, helping to release extra salt and water from your body \u2014 and possibly making you feel less bloated. Those berries are also full of healthy antioxidants<\/a> that may block free radicals from doing damage to your cells. Plus, they\u2019re oh-so refreshing!<\/p>\n

The Fine Print:<\/strong> If you thought the tonic in your G&T was just glorified seltzer water, we\u2019ve got bad news for you. One popular brand<\/a> of tonic packs 130 calories, 55 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbs and 32 grams of sugar per eight ounce serving \u2014 and lists high fructose corn syrup as its second ingredient. (Sparkling seltzer water<\/a>, on the other hand, contains no calories and is strictly carbonated water.) Go easy on the \u2018T\u2019 if you\u2019re watching your calorie intake.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The Ultimate Hangover Helper Smoothie Recipe<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Tequila<\/h3>\n

The Benefits:<\/strong> Aside from making a mean margarita, moderate consumption of tequila might be good for your ticker: Drinking spirits<\/a> increases levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, which could help lower your risk for heart disease. But be wary of other research you read about tequila \u2014\u00a0much of it is based off the benefits of agave, found in the plant used to make tequila. Unfortunately, that good-for-you agave doesn\u2019t actually end up in your glass<\/a>!<\/p>\n

The Fine Print: <\/strong>Ever experienced the tequila crazies? While research doesn\u2019t support the idea that different liquors have different emotional or behavioral effects, many people report<\/a> that drinking tequila makes them act \u201ccrazy\u201d or angry. What\u2019s more likely is that your mood affects your choice of drink, experts say. (Today was the worst! Give me a tequila shot!<\/em>…Sound familiar?) Pay attention to what you order \u2014 and how much you consume \u2014 on days when you\u2019re already feeling off kilter.<\/p>\n

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

6. Wine
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Benefits: <\/strong>Wine has become the very definition of a \u2018guilt-free\u2019 treat \u2014\u00a0and for good reason. Polyphenols, the antioxidants in red wine, may limit the development and progression of atherosclerosis\u00a0\u2014 plaque build up in your arteries that can lead to heart disease. Plus, one to two glasses a day can increase HDL (aka good) cholesterol by about 12 percent, research shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Fine Print:<\/strong> While experts aren\u2019t quite sure what causes it, the infamous red wine headache<\/a> some sippers experience could easily ruin a night out. Drink plenty of H20 between glasses to keep headaches (and hangovers) at bay.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Bad Is Booze, Really? 6 Crazy Facts About Alcohol<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Whiskey
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Benefits: <\/strong>Wine\u2019s not the only beverage with antioxidants: Whiskey also contains polyphenols and offers up heart-healthy benefits<\/a> similar to wine, research shows. And while it won\u2019t prevent or cure a cold, a hot whiskey drink <\/a>can give you some symptom relief, one doc says.<\/p>\n

The Fine Print: <\/strong>Like any kind of hard liquor, whiskey packs the same amount of alcohol into a smaller serving than beer or wine. Taking shots can quickly backfire, so opt for a whiskey you enjoy and savor it slowly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Know Before You Drink<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While these benefits all sound great, they\u2019re nothing you can\u2019t attain through exercise and eating right. If you do decide to imbibe, keep it to no more than a couple drinks a night!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re into whiskey or wine, there may be some fascinating benefits \u2014 and fine print \u2014 when it comes to sipping on your favorite happy hour hooch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"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":[28,31,44,341,371],"class_list":["post-48264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-alcohol","tag-beverages","tag-drinks","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2mens-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48264","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\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48264\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}