Doc Gerry
Know The HEALTH FACTS ... Because WEALTH THRU PERSONAL HEALTH is a COMMITMENT... NOT A CHOICE!
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How Much Alcohol Is Acceptable?
October 26, 2006
The debate on the merits and demerits of drinking alcohol has been with us for centuries. We drink to have fun, or for some… too much fun! The question always is how much alcohol is safe for me? Or Can I drink?
So far, more than 100 prospective studies show that drinking alcohol in MODERATION can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and sudden cardiac death by as much as 20% to 40%. These heart benefits we all know are the reasons why we drink!
However the risks associated with alcohol intake begin to exceed benefits until middle age, when cardiovascular disease begins to account for increasingly large share of the burden of disease and death. The Harvard Health Study Group has given these guidelines as follows:
- For a person with liver disease, and people taking one or more medications that interact with alcohol, moderate drinking offers little benefit and potential risks.
- For a 30-year-old man, the increased risk of alcohol-related accidents outweighs the possible heart-related benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.
- For a 60-year-old man, a drink a day may offer protection against heart disease that is likely to outweigh potential harm (assuming he isn’t prone to alcoholism).
- For a 60-year-old woman, the benefit/risk calculations are trickier. More than ten times as many women die each year from heart disease than breast cancer! However, studies show that women are far more afraid of developing breast cancer than heart disease, something that must be factored into the equation.
So what’s moderate drinking? That’s 1-2 drinks a day.
and What’s a Drink? Its….12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of spirits (hard liquor such as gin or whiskey). Each of the them delivers about 12 to 14 grams of alcohol.
Yes…You can drink… but my recommendation is:
Drink in Moderation!
October 26, 2006 at 9:13 am
Doc, is there a direct correlation to drinking alcohol and obesity? Is a bottle of beer a day could make a pot belly?
October 26, 2006 at 10:28 am
Great question Max… but Beer belly is a myth: it is the physical trait where there is an overhang of fat in the abdominal area. It s a myth that beer is responsible for it as anything that increases weight can cause beer belly. The only source of calories of beer is alcohol and carbohydrate and as a result it does not cause enough weight gain to be responsible for the belly appearance. In fact the calorie count of 1 beer is less than that of a cola.
October 31, 2006 at 9:47 pm
Thanks for this information Doc. One myth discarded from my system.
February 8, 2008 at 1:18 am
My husband drinks 3 or 4 day in a week.
Everytime he consumes minimum of 350-450ml of wisky/brandy/rum.
I want to know how far it will affect his health.
I tried max to stop him drinking, but finally I lost hope.
February 8, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Stella… alcohol can kill the liver, cause obesity if consumed many and affect his health that can lead to diabetes, hypertension because they contain empty calories, may interact with medications and if he is on oral medicatins to control blood sugar, drinking alcohol may cause hypoglycemia.
Ask his doctor for help to convince him to stop.
March 31, 2008 at 6:15 am
“So what’s moderate drinking? That’s 1-2 drinks a day. ”
Doc, so if you do this for 365 days, drinking 2 drinks a day, I’ll be fine right?
April 5, 2008 at 9:30 am
as long as you are healthy having a healthy lifestyle and doing well.
May 22, 2008 at 11:03 am
I drink around 3-4 nights a week and I have about 3 drinks a night with roughly 1.5 ounces of liq in each drink with soda and juice which then makes the entire drink (juice/soda/liq) about 8 ounces. I am also on sertraline of 25mg. Can this cause a liver damage? I am only 29 and I eat salads and I am rougly in shape.