Alcohol, the effects are intoxicating. But what are the health implications?
The body treats alcohol or ethanol like poison from the start. Alcohol alters the gut microbiome and puts a heavy burden on the liver. In the gut, alcohol creates an imbalance called dysbiosis where the delicate microbiome needed to digest food and process nutrients is altered.
The liver must go through multiple phases to remove ethanol creating an even more toxic molecule called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is responsible for the hangover effect, which creates inflammation and damages DNA. The liver must turn acetaldehyde into a safer molecule called acetate before it can be broken down into water and carbon dioxide to be eliminated.
Processing alcohol is an expensive task for the liver, depleting essential nutrients needed for over 500 vital functions. When you add to the equation a microbiome struggling to produce adequate nutrients. This creates an environment ripe for disease.
So the question are all wondering…can alcohol be part of a balanced lifestyle?
While research showing the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption does exist. After exploring the biological effects of alcohol and the process the body must go through to eliminate the ethanol and acetaldehyde. It appears the alcohol content often neutralizes or negates the antioxidant benefits found in these beverages. This is because the antioxidants found in fermented alcoholic beverages like wine and beer are often needed to process and eliminate the alcohol from the body. It is possible the benefits found in the studies may have more to do with the way alcohol is used as a stress reliever or a social lubricant. Our stressful lives and cultural expectations can be temporarily reduced when inhibitions are lowered with alcohol.
While we can all find healthier ways to handle stressful situations. Most healthy bodies are able to process small quantities if alcohol on a short term basis. For example 1-2 glasses of wine or beer can be processed and handled in a healthy person. It is the daily or heavy consumption that comes at a substantial cost to the liver and microbiome leading to imbalance and disease.
If you consume alcohol, support your liver and microbiome by eating a clean whole foods diet with an array of essential nutrients. Reduce processed foods and avoid commercially available personal products and cleaners that put an additional burden on your liver and microbiome. Our bodies are designed to detoxify and balance. But too much of anything can lead to imbalance and disease.
I’ll be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I learned the health affects of alcohol. I grew up in the binge drinking era where movies like Cocktail were glamorized. I didn’t understand how toxic alcohol was until I picked up my first biochemistry book which contained a small section on the oxidation of alcohol in the body. Once I understood how alcohol damages the gut by altering the microbiome which is needed to process nutrients, along with the quantity of nutrients needed by the liver to process the ethanol. The damage I was witnessing in myself and others who drank “moderately” was clear. Our bodies were struggling on a daily basis with the influx of chemicals in our food, air, water and products. Adding alcohol fueled the fire making the flames grow even larger.
Now we know and we have the ability to make better choices to serve both our health and our clarity.
