Health x Wellness
Health Benefits of Drinking Alcohol
Smart drinking is the way to go
Drinking alcohol on a regular basis isn’t so bad if you know how to control your consumption rate. Contrarily, getting wasted every time you drink might not be beneficial for your physical and mental well-being.
Prepare your bottle opener as you find out more benefits from drinking alcohol:
Keeps your heart and immune system healthy
Beers and wines contain natural antioxidants such as phenols that help to reduce the risk of hypertension and heart disease.
Moderate amounts of alcohol raise your good cholesterol while preventing blood clotting. This can reduce the incidence of small blood clots from blocking the arteries.
Regular consumption of alcohol helps to boost your immune system against common cold and flu.
Reduces the risk of Diabetes
Consuming alcohol moderately helps to decrease the chance of contracting this disease, particularly type 2 diabetes. As compared to those who abstains from alcohol, controlling your alcohol intake enhances your insulin sensitivity. This allows your body to break down glucose easier and convert it for energy usage.
The amount of sugar in your body is lowered and thus, minimising the risk of contracting diabetes.
Decreases the risk of Gallstones
Gallstones are formed by hardened cholesterol that stays within your gallbladder. As mentioned above, alcohol raises good cholesterol which helps to lower the number of hardened ones. However, this is only effective if you consume alcohol regularly.
You still need to limit your alcohol intake to avoid turning it into an addiction. Keeping to 2 units of alcohol daily is sufficient to decrease the risk of developing gallstones by 30 percent.
Soothes Your Sore Throat
You may relieve your sore throat by gargling 60ml of whisky with a spoonful of hot water, lemon and honey. The last two ingredients help to ease your throat while the alcohol allows you to sleep better.
Prolongs Life
Moderate alcohol consumption could lengthen your life for a few years. You can drink alcohol in small amounts during meals and keep the rest of the day alcohol-free.
Maintaining a limit of 4 and 2 drinks for men and women respectively could decrease the chances of dying by 18 percent.
Makes You Look Younger
Certain antioxidants presented in wine such as phytochemicals and resveratrol help combat aging while boosting energy levels.
Nevertheless, excessive drinking denies your skin of essential vitamins and nutrients. Drinking moderately also helps in reducing water retention.
Enhance Brainpower
Minimal alcohol drinking could reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Research has shown that moderate drinkers have a 23 percent lower rate of suffering from cognitive damage, Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia illnesses. It was found that wine is a better stimulator in enhancing brainpower as compared to beer or hard liquor.
However, remember that excessive alcohol consumption can be detrimental to brain functions.
Alcohol can be beneficial for your health if you consume it moderately. If you are an alcohol addict, you might want to consider quitting. Heavy drinking could lead to health-related diseases such as stroke, various cancers or even liver inflammation.
