Beer, cocktails, wine, and champagne...all types of liquor flow generously around the holidays. Obviously, there are pros and cons associated with boozing, but let's focus on the (health) benefits of your favorite drinks!
Firstly, all studies on alcohol attribute its benefits to moderate consumption. However, there is no clear-cut definition of what moderate drinking is. Let's consider moderate drinking to be the amount at which the health benefits of alcohol outweigh the negative consequences.
The USDA and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that men consume no more than 2 drinks per day and women consume about 1 drink per day (in order to reap the health benefits). One drink is considered to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
Over 100 studies have linked moderate drinking to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke, heart attack, peripheral vascular disease, and sudden cardiac death. This is because all types of alcohol act as an anti-inflammatory agent in your body, thinning your blood and raising your HDL (good) cholesterol which helps to destroy the LDL (bad) cholesterol that clogs the arteries.
Are certain types of alcohol better than others? Let's find out...
Wine: The benefits of red wine are tied to the high concentration of 2 antioxidants, resveratrol and flavonoids, which are known to increase HDL cholesterol and to prevent blood clots and plaque build-up in the arteries. The resveratrol in wine comes from the skin of the grapes. Since red wine is made by fermenting the skins longer than white wine, some say that red wine contains more resveratrol. But, the grape's pulp, which is used to make white wine, actually provides different antioxidants that are also heart-healthy. In addition, studies have linked components in white wine with improved lung function. A single glass (5 ounces) of wine is around 100-130 calories.
Beer: Did you know that beer actually provides similar health benefits as wine? In addition to helping lower LDL levels, the folate in beer helps to lower homocysteine levels in the blood. High levels of homocysteine are linked to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Beer also has been shown to improve bone density. Beer contains silicone, which allows for deposition of calcium and other minerals into bone tissue. Since none of the health benefits of beer (and other drinks) are actually attributed to alcohol, light beer offers similar benefits.
One of my personal favorite beers is Guinness, which is known for its deep, rich color and foamy top layer -- and is sometimes blamed for being too heavy and filling. The truth is, Guinness is actually lower in alcohol, calories, and carbohydrates than most regular (not light) beers. Guinness also has more antioxidants than most beers, along with a higher concentration of folate as well.
A typical 12-ounce regular beer has around 140 calories and a light beer has around 100 calories.
Champagne: THIS just in: The latest research implies that champagne has similar health benefits as wine! The breaking news will be published this week in the British Journal of Nutrition. Just like beer and wine, the bubbly contains antioxidants that help lower blood pressure and lessen the effects of free radicals in the body. One glass (4.1 ounces) of champagne has around 100 calories.
Hard Alcohol: You guessed it...The "hard" stuff has the same heart-healthy components as other alcohol. But the mixers tend to mess up a good thing. Sugary juices and syrups add unnecessary calories that dilute the health benefits. Also, consider that beer and wine drinkers usually drink with food, which slows the absorption of alcohol -- whereas hard alcohol drinkers tend to drink outside of meals, which can quickly become excessive. A 1.5-ounce shot of hard alcohol has about 100-120 calories.
Remember that the benefits of booze go hand-in-hand with moderate drinking. In other words, you can't "save up" all your drinks during the week, consume 10 drinks on Saturday night, then congratulate yourself for being healthy. The weekly total may be the same, but the health benefits definitely aren't. Cheers!
Healthy drinking,
Sandy Sfikas, RD, LDN
