Alcohol Health Benefits: What Science Really Says
Alcohol has long been part of social and cultural traditions around the world. Over the years, some studies have suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may offer certain health benefits. However, these claims are often misunderstood or overstated. This article explains what science actually says about alcohol and health, while clearly outlining the risks and limitations.
What are some of the alcohol health benefits?
Alcohol has a plethora of health benefits when consumed moderately and is also nutritious. Fermentation is highly beneficial because the nutritional value of food is enhanced with increased amino acid and vitamin levels. Early hominids had their first experience of alcohol by eating fermented fruit that dropped from trees. Those augmented calories would sustain and help them to survive a hostile environment. Fermented fruit was easy to digest; it supplied nutrition and energy that caused the brain to grow larger.
It supports immune system function and protects against pathogenic organisms. Those who drank alcohol were healthier, survived longer, and reproduced more – and that was not just the effect of the beer goggles!
Spirits – A Delivery Method
Distilled spirits were originally produced as a delivery method for curative botanicals. The active ingredients in medicinal herbs dissolve in alcohol and it also preserves them. Distilled grapes and cereal became known as eau de vie or aqua vitae – water of life – and for centuries it was consumed for medicinal benefits. In medieval Europe monasteries became laboratories as men and women of the holy orders experimented with elixirs. Chartreuse is one such alcoholic herbal remedy still produced today.
Alcohol & Health Research
Much alcohol and health research has been undertaken over the centuries, and in the modern scientific era, there is a plethora of positive conclusions. Unfortunately, the anti-alcohol lobby is vociferous and the media does not help by highlighting the anti-social aspects of drunkenness and the strain it puts on the police and health services. What they rarely focus on is the good news and the benefits that a moderate consumption of alcohol has for society. Most drinkers are not problem drinkers and they get the best out of alcohol rather than vice verse. As for the official guidance on what amount of alcohol is unhealthy, this varies depending on where in the world you are. The alcohol consumption guidelines specified by the British government bear no relation to what their counterparts in other countries advocate. This means there is no definitive answer.
A surprising champion is the United States Centre for Disease Control . It declares that moderate consumption of alcohol, not-smoking, a nutritious diet, and regular exercise are ‘four healthy lifestyle behaviours that exert a powerful and beneficial effect on mortality’. So to quote the Russian proverb: ‘Drink a glass of schnapps after your soup and you steal a rouble from the doctor’. Or as the French would say over a glass of vino – à votre santé.
While limited research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may offer minor health benefits for some adults, alcohol is not a health product and should never be treated as one. The risks often outweigh the benefits, and similar advantages can be achieved through safer lifestyle choices.
For teenagers and young people, the message is clear: alcohol offers no health benefits and carries real risks. Making informed, healthy decisions early in life is far more beneficial than drinking.