Dietitian: ‘Even one glass of wine raises our risk for diseases’
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Do you recall hearing that a glass of wine a day supports heart health?
As it turns out, “it’s not even clear red wine is beneficial,” said Mike Merrill, physician and internist and chief medical officer of Brook Health. “The core thinking now is alcohol is overall not beneficial. That’s the consensus.”
Merrill serves as associate clinical professor of epidemiology at University at Buffalo.
He added that alcohol contributes excess calories to the diet, which can make it easy to gain weight. Consider the foods typically accompanying alcohol in social settings, such as cheese with wine or greasy “bar foods” with beer. These pairings can also ramp up calorie intake.
Says Drew Michael Hemler, a registered dietitian in private practice in Syracuse: “Mortality increases with even one glass [of alcohol].”
Hemler added that the idea that red wine is good for heart health stems from the resveratrol naturally occurring in grape skins that is still present in wine after processing.
“Everything should be taken in context,” Hemler said. “To receive the active dose that’s beneficial, you’d have to consume more than 10 bottles of wine.”
“Only one serving per person is the recommended maximum for those who do drink,” Hemler said. “The benefits of reducing alcohol are virtually endless.”
A few he listed are better skin, as alcohol contributes to dehydration.
“Alcohol intake can exacerbate skin conditions like eczema, rosacea and psoriasis,” Hemler said.
Too much booze can hamper digestive health and chronic alcohol intake raises the risk for gastritis and pancreatitis. Hemler also said that reducing intake improves nutrient absorption.
“When we reduce alcohol intake, we can improve weight management,” Hemler said. “Drinking alcohol is drinking empty calories, which contributes to excessive total intake which leads to unintentional weight gain.”
Alcohol offers no improvement for longevity. Any health benefit arising from happy hour is likely because of socializing, but not the alcohol itself. Instead, drinking alcohol increases the risk of some cancers and some heart problems.
“Excessive can replace consumption of wholesome foods and affect absorption of nutrients,” said Carolyn Allen, registered dietitian and owner of Rural Roots Nutrition in Manlius. “It can add too many calories and lead to weight gain. Because it can change mood, behavior and memory, it can lead to choosing more nutrient-void foods and more processed foods.”
“Regular alcohol use, especially heavy use, increases risk of heart disease and stroke,” said Gregory Faughnan, board certified physician in primary care at St. Joseph’s Physicians Primary Care in Syracuse.
He said that cutting back on alcohol can also improve sleep. Although having a “nightcap” to help induce sleep seems sensible, drinking at bedtime can make it harder to fall back asleep if one awakens in the night. This can make it harder to fall asleep without it and establish a nightly drinking habit.
Alcohol, a depressant, also interferes with mental health.
“Reducing alcohol intake can improve mental health by decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms,” Faughnan said.
Faughnan also said that alcohol use “often leads to a weakened immune system, making you more susceptible to certain infections.”
“Reducing alcohol consumption can decrease an individual’s risk of fall and subsequent injury,” Faughnan said.
It can also improve liver function.
“Regular or excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver damage or inflammation,” Faughnan said. “Sometimes this can even be reversed by reducing one’s use.”
Minimizing use also helps improve memory for those whose use has caused reduced cognitive function and memory.
“Cutting back will improve brain fog, focus, attention and memory,” Faughnan said.