7 Health Benefits of Alcohol

Health Benefits

Intoxicating yourself every weekend may not be the best thing for your physical or emotional health, but moderate alcohol intake may have significant health benefits. It should be emphasized that alcohol use and its advantages vary according to a person’s body composition and type.

According to the definition of moderate alcohol usage, a woman can have up to one drink per day, while a man can have up to two drinks per day. This definition refers to the amount ingested on a single day and is not intended to represent the average amount consumed across multiple days.”

Now, we’ve all heard about the drawbacks of drinking alcohol, but what about the benefits? Here is a list of seven potential health benefits of drinking alcohol in moderation, assuming you are of legal drinking age.

1) It reduces cardiovascular disease risk

The Harvard University School of Public Health Benefits that “Moderate alcohol use increases levels of high-density lipoprotein or ‘good’ cholesterol, and higher HDL levels are associated with improved heart disease protection. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been associated with positive benefits ranging from improved insulin sensitivity to increases in blood coagulation factors… Such modifications would tend to minimize the production of tiny blood clots that can obstruct arteries in the heart, neck, and brain, the underlying cause of numerous heart attacks and the most prevalent type of stroke.” This observation applies to both males and females who have never been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.

2) It Has the Potential to Increase Your Life Expectancy

The occasional consumption of alcohol may add a few years to your life. According to a study conducted by the Catholic University of Campobasso, drinking less than four or two drinks per day for men and women, respectively, could cut the risk of death by 18 percent. Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano of Catholic University, a co-author of the study, stated, “Little amounts, especially during meals, appear to be the best method (to drink alcohol).” “This is another characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, where alcohol, wine in particular, is the perfect complement to dinner or lunch, but no more: the rest of the day must be alcohol-free.”

3) It can boost your libido

Contrary to previous ideas, emerging evidence suggests that moderate drinking may protect against erectile dysfunction in the same way that drinking red wine may protect against cardiovascular disease. In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers discovered that drinking alcohol reduced the risk of erectile dysfunction by 25 to 30 percent. The study was done on 1,770 Australian men by Kew-Kim Chew, an epidemiologist at the University of Western Australia. Chew cautioned in his paper that he and his team are in no way urging men to imbibe, and that additional research is required to establish a definitive link between impotence and alcohol consumption.

4) It is Beneficial for the Protection Against the Common Cold

The Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University discovered that while smoking increased vulnerability to the common cold, moderate alcohol consumption decreased the number of common cold cases among nonsmokers. This study was conducted with 391 adults in 1993. In 2002, Spanish researchers discovered that drinking eight to fourteen glasses of wine each week, particularly red wine, reduced the chance of catching a cold by 60 percent. The researchers hypothesized that this was due to the antioxidant effects of wine.

5) It can reduce the likelihood of developing dementia

Since 1977, moderate drinkers were 23 percent less likely to acquire cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and other kinds of dementia, according to a study including more than 365,000 participants and published in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. Alcohol, in moderation, may be beneficial to the health of brain cells. Moderate alcohol consumption challenges cells and so toughens them to withstand future large pressures that could induce dementia “According to Science Daily, co-author of the study Edward J. Neafsey, Ph.D., said the following. We don’t recommend those who don’t drink to start,” Neafsey said. But if it’s mild, drinking in moderation can have its benefits.

6) It may reduce the risk of gallstones

According to the University of East Anglia, drinking two units of alcohol each day can reduce the incidence of gallstones by one-third. Two UK units of alcohol per day were associated with a one-third reduction in the chance of developing gallstones, according to the study. 

7) Reduces the risk of diabetes

A Dutch study found that healthy persons who consume one to two glasses of alcohol per day have a lower risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes than those who do not drink at all. The results of the study indicate that moderate alcohol use can be part of a healthy lifestyle that helps minimize the chance of acquiring type 2 diabetes, researchers told Reuters.

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