Why do we get fat? Is it due to how much we eat or is it about what we eat? If it is about how much we eat then it is the abundance of calories that is to blame for the phenomena? But if it is about what we eat then what is it that we should be eating to loose that suborn fat?What if gaining weight and becoming obese was not a character defect of individuals(obese) who have a tendency to grow fat easily. What if becoming obese was not about our inability to control ourselves when we see that cookie or muffin, but about specific foods that we eat which promotes such impulses to overeat and indulge us into eating more than required

Does consuming moderate quantities of alcohol; say a glass of wine everyday really promotes your health? Read on to know the facts, clear bias and get informed!

How often have we come across friends or family members claiming to have alcohol because they have read somewhere or heard from someone that it promotes the health of the heart and/or promotes overall health? With the advancement in information technology and the fact that everyone is accessing Google for information, I’m sure you know of at least a couple of such people who claim to drink alcohol due to this reason and explain their indulgence in such behavior!

Now, let us find out how does this claim stand up under the critical examination of empirical evidence?

First of all, when we talk about beverages such as beer, vodka, tequila or wine, the common denominator of all of them is the alcohol. The alcohol by itself is clinically proven addictive substance; i.e., it promotes desire for consumption even in the face of negative consequences, overtime, developing the tolerance to the effects of substance, and experiencing of withdrawal symptoms when the use of it is reduced or stopped.

Having said that, alcohol promotes an unhealthy psychological effects and it inhabits our natural mechanisms of the body to detect when we are full while eating. Hence, under the influence of alcohol, we are more likely to make bad decisions and therefore, ending up binge eating on foodstuff made out of sugars and refined flour. 

Moreover, from a hormonal perspective, alcohol consumption interferes with glucose metabolism, hence impacting on the actions of sugar regulatory hormones like insulin and glucagon. Alcohol achieves this by increasing the secretion of insulin, a hormone which pulls blood sugar out of the bloodstream, leading to a situation of “temporary hypoglycemia”. Furthermore, alcohol can also impair the release of glucagon, hormone responsible to release energy from liver glycogen (in the form of glucose) and adipose tissue (in the form of triglycerides), leaving our blood sugar levels too low for too long which is a very stressful and critical situation for the body!

Alcohol, additionally has an inhibitory effect on the production of an anabolic hormone, vital for the building of lean tissue in the body, TESTOSTERONE!

Alcohol affects and weakens our immune system and, both acute and chronic alcohol use impairs the immunity of the cells, leaving our immune system even less prepared to deal with inflammatory consequences of consuming high amount of sugars in alcohol. 

Alcohol is also pro-oxidative, meaning that it contributes to oxidation (resulting in increase in the number of free radicals) in the body; it reduces antioxidant levels which directly contribute to chronic systemic inflammation (leading to oxidation of lipoproteins in blood and accumulation of plaques in arteries)!

Research studies done on understanding the benefits of consuming wine are generally funded by wine manufacturers to support and promote the sales of their products which is otherwise and generally deemed unhealthy in the scientific literature. As far as, benefits of consuming wine is concerned, it is due to the health promoting effects of certain antioxidants in it, like “resveratrol”.

But here is the caveat! The wine contains very tiny amounts of this healthy compound, and so just because of this they have been marketed as “heart healthy”.

The problem lies in the fact that the quantity of resveratrol in a fluid ounce (oz.) of red wine averages 160 microgram (mcg) (this value varying with bottles and sources). Most of the clinical research done on resveratrol have been conducted using animals as subjects and not humans to prove any apparent benefits in humans. A clinical study conducted on mice as subjects concluded that to get the same dose of resveratrol used on mice in the study, an average human would have to drink more than 60 liters (that’s 80 bottles) of red wine every day to experience any benefit of resveratrol. (Kahn, 2012).

So what is the point that is made in this post? Should we stop having alcohol now? The answer is yes if you wish to become healthier! 

The point of this post is not to scare you and stop you from having alcohol such as wine; but the point here is that we should know the facts and indulge into drinking for the right reasons; that is, to have some fun time! Terming drinking as healthy and done for health reasons, as we know now is far from the truth of the matter!

Reference:

Kahn, A. (2012). Resveratrol researcher faked data, report says; what drives academic fraud?”. Available: articles.latimes.com. Last accessed 16th March, 2013.

Reference:

Kahn, A. (2012). Resveratrol researcher faked data, report says; what drives academic fraud?”. Available: articles.latimes.com. Last accessed 16th March, 2013.

- Vijay Thakkar