To be completely honest let me tell you, I am writing this post for 16 weeks now. Luckily it is an evergreen topic. The major reason for delaying the publishing is I can still not choose sides and position myself on the topic of alcohol. I would love to vote in favor of drinking alcohol but let me tell you, THERE IS NO SINGLE THING ABOUT ALCOHOL THAT I COULD FIND BEING POSITIVE or BENEFICIAL FOR OUR HEALTH and LONGEVITY. My conclusion is that it is a health risk and a health sacrifice to indulge in it.

The only type of alcohol that humans can safely drink is ethanol or ethyl alcohol, and only if it hasn't been denatured or doesn't contain toxic impurities. Other two types of alcohol include methanol (methyl alcohol) and isopropanol (rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol) and we use them for cleaning and manufacturing, not for making drinks. For example, methanol is a component in fuel for cars and boats. I think this information just sets the toxicity of alcohol in the right context and illustrates a clear objective picture.

But that said, if the base line of drinking alcohol is set at ZERO tolerance, what is the second best to drinking alcohol and staying healthy and young?

Alcohol is just so integrated into our lifestyle habits it has already deserved a special section in every healthcare topic, either it is effects on sleep, mental and physical health, or performance. It is often because of personal reasons (anniversaries, family gatherings or simply just pleasurable moments), but also formal setting environments (being company events, business dinners, closing on agreements, gathering events or festive occasions) we desire or are simply following the etiquette to drink some alcohol for the amusement, celebration, socializing and networking reasons.

Since it has become such a big part of our everyday life, how to behave wisely about it and downplay the damaging effects?

To answer this question, we need to understand what is an alcoholic drink made of. ETHANOL and WATER are the main components of most alcoholic beverages, although in some very sweet liqueurs the SUGAR content can be higher than the ethanol content. Ethanol is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or other sources of sugar. Alcoholic drinks are typically divided into three classes—BEERS, WINES, AND SPIRITS—and typically their alcohol content is between 3% and 50%. Wine and cider are made by fermenting fruit, while fermented cereals such as barley and rye form the basis of beer and spirits; vodka is made of fermenting cereal grains, like wheat, corn, rye or potatoes. Spirits go through a process called distillation – where a proportion of the water is removed, leaving a stronger concentration of alcohol and flavor. LIQUEURs are produced by combining a base spirit, also called LIQUOR (rum, gin, vodka, tequila, whiskey or brandy), with fruits, spices or herbs and are sweetened by the addition of a sugar syrup.

The healthiest types of alcohol are pure unblended SPIRITS - BASE LIQUORS (gin, vodka, whiskey, tequila, rum, brandy) or high-quality WINES (organic if possible), especially red or rose varieties. The reason is in their purity, meaning they are low on sugar - carbohydrate content and have also some antioxidant ingredients/ properties. On the contrary, to be avoided are BEERS, spirits mixed with sodas or other soft drinks and juices, so called COCKTAILS or other blends made of LIQUEURS (amaretto, Kahlua, Campari, Baileys, and more).

All pure spirits contain zero carbohydrates and are the most “keto” or “low-carb” alcoholic drinks, meaning they do not impact the insulin levels. That is alleviation to your metabolism which is already under attack of alcohol. Namely, catabolism of alcohol shuts down all your other metabolic pathways, among which being very important, glucose producing pathways (gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis), insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and the fat burning process, for the duration of 12 to 36 hours depending on the dose of the alcohol and the individual (that it is why the best day for drinking are the day before and on the cheat day) as well as it promotes making new fat in the liver (lipogenesis). Since fat is made from carbohydrates, you can down regulate the lipogenesis by drinking non-sugary alcohol and keeping your diet - drinks keto.

Wine is also very low on carbohydrate content, depending on choosing dry or sweet variety (containing on average less then 1g/100g for dry and more then 3g /100g for sweet wines). Red wine has the highest amount of antioxidants among the wine sorts.

We have covered the WHAT to drink question and now we can focus on HOW MUCH to drink.

One drink is considered to be 12 ounces of regular beer, 1.5 ounces of liquor, or 5 ounces of wine. If you want to keep your health risk from alcohol at minimum (keep in mind that reduced risk doesn’t equal zero risk) stick to one drink per day for women and two for men. Men generally weigh more than women and have less water in their bodies. As a result, alcohol in a woman’s body is less diluted, creating greater exposure to the toxic effect of alcohol and its byproducts. Unfortunately also, you can’t choose a weekly count over the daily – you can not save up all week and have 7-14 drinks on Saturday.

The amount also depends on the other conditions.

Drinking water while consuming alcohol is an important part of minimizing its effects. Staying hydrated not only improves your mental capacity but also helps your body flush out toxins. The goal is to drink at least the same amount of non-alcoholic beverages as the alcoholic drinks. One strategy to keep hydrated while at the same time drink less alcohol (and to make your drink last longer) is by adding a sugar-free sparkling water to your drinks and muddle in some fresh herbs (such as mint, lavender, or rosemary).

When pairing alcohol with food the recommendations are not that straightforward. Here I would go against the general rule to have the alcohol together with food (explanation below).

The main question is what are the reason and purpose of having the alcohol.

OPTION 1: If you drink to unwind, relax and enjoy the fuzzy feeling of alcohol the best way is to drink on an empty stomach and only follow it with a meal afterwards. The thing is most of the alcohol (80%) is absorbed in the small intestine and only 20% gets absorbed in stomach. Therefore, if the stomach is empty, alcohol can enter small intestine and gets absorbed faster to a greater amount, so the effects of it start earlier. By that, you do not need to drink a lot to get the buzzy effect as if drinking while eating. Not obligatory, but if the plan is to eat afterwards, try to go low on carbs and fatty foods. Avoiding carbs /fats means less fat production and storage in your body. Best is to eat only proteins and starches, i.e. meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. It will keep you full and give you the feeling of satiety. Eat salty to stay hydrated and keep up the electrolytes. The good thing about drinking before eating is that you usually end up earlier in the day/ evening and do not bring it to the bedtime, which compromises your deep sleep to a lesser extent.

OPTION 2: On the other hand, if you know you will be drinking more than just a glass or two it is best to have a meal before or coupled with drinking. High-end dinners and culinary events are usually set to present each course with a separate drink, from aperitifs to digestifs. It could be overwhelming to follow. If you want to and manage to keep it on the low side, drink only each glass half empty, skip a glass and never allow to get your glass refilled before emptying it first.

OPTION 3 & 4: To follow both streams the one recommendation would be to drink 1-2 hours after a light, small protein/ starch-based meal, where you have also mindfully hydrated yourself. The effect of alcohol in this case will begin later but will continue longer. Other option is to have one glass before and another one after the meal. Which is also great if you have as already mentioned a small light protein/ starch-based meal with lots of fluids to rehydrate. This is a great way to comply with the crowds, have the fun out of the drinking action and keep the harmful consequences of alcohol at minimum.

The BOTTOM LINE:

We know from observations on BLUE ZONES (geographic areas in which people have low rates of chronic disease and live longer than anywhere else) centenarians that this is true: People in four original blue zones areas drink alcohol moderately and regularly. The trick is to drink one to two glasses per day WITH FRIENDS AND/OR WITH FOOD.

EVERYTHING ABOUT DRINKING ALCOHOL - FULL DISCLOSURE