No, drinking occasionally does not free you from the dangers of alcohol

A healthy life also means spending moments with family and friends. After spending so much time locked up at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, family and friends gatherings are back. We have reunited with all of them, and it is possible that in one of these lunches or dinners the wine ran like wildfire between the tables. And then, logically, the after-party with their respective drinks.

As usual, Spanish society tends to view alcohol consumption socially. Although the quarantine also increased the demand for certain products such as beer or wine, our culture always begins and ends in bars. Therefore, it is to some extent logical – less for the healthiest – that the weekend is also synonymous with enjoying a spirited drink to taste in a conversation with a good company.

Don't drink, and if you do, don't drink more than one glass a day. When it comes to alcohol, the lower your consumption the better

Doctors are pretty clear about it. Alcohol consumption is never good, under any pretext or even if the quantities are tiny. Exposing yourself to this vice can lead to serious health problems in the future, both in the digestive system and in the cardiovascular system or also in the brain. In general, it promotes the aging of the body, so you must eliminate its consumption if you want to be completely healthy. Even more so if you just want to lose weight.

In any case, many people believe that a beer every so often or drinking a single glass every weekend is safe. Obviously, this form of minimal consumption does much more for health than another of more frequency. But a new study conducted in Canada and published in the 'Journal of Studies On Alcohol & Drugs', has shown that even in minute amounts, alcohol ends up increasing the probability of dying prematurely or from developing diseases as serious as cancer.

In countries like the United Kingdom, with a great ethylic culture, low risk consumption is appreciated around less than six pints of beer spread out seven days a week. Taking reference to the English, a team of Canadian researchers established as "low risk consumption"no more than ten drinks per week for women and less than fifteen in the case of men. In this sense, it should be noted that this number of drinks corresponds to a glass of about 33 centiliters. Still, these minimum amounts are very above those of the United Kingdom, since they would be equivalent to nine pints a week.

By taking this series of references, the investigation concluded that moderate drinkers are not without risk and drinking alcohol, even if it is little, entails serious health problems. To get an idea, the metric of British Columbia, the Canadian province analyzed in the study, could be equivalent to if every day in Spain we drank around two or three glasses a day of beer or wine. Fifteen pints a week may seem like a lot, but in reality if we consume alcohol during lunch and dinner we will already be reaching a minimum of two glasses a day.

Nothing good for health

The study concluded that about half of cancer deaths from alcohol consumption in British Columbia, a Canadian province, occurred among moderate drinkers. Based on these results, the scientists highlighted that the moderate consumption of ethyl beverages was quite marked, even at low levels. We must stress the fact that very popular drinks in our country such as wine or beer are not as strong as strong spirits (gin, vodka, or whiskey).

"Don't drink, and if you do, don't drink more than one glass a day"alerted Adam Sherk, director of the investigation, to 'The New York Post'. "When it comes to alcohol, the lower your consumption the better." Therefore, we return to the main idea: if you want to lead a healthy and balanced life, it is best to discard alcohol consumption from your daily or weekly intake.

If you are also thinking of following a weight loss plan, it is vitally important that you eliminate its consumption, however small it may be. Drinks like beer contain many empty calories that end up increasing the body's fat levels. In addition, another of the dangers of its consumption in the face of weight reduction is that normally beer or wine are hunger enhancers, so you probably end up overeating. Either way, do not overdo it or you will be facing endless health problems to come.