ALCOHOL INTAKE: GOOD FOR THE BODY!

                             

Etech Blog

“Alcohol Consumption”

By: Jasmine Lou M. Presbitero

Alcohol, according to Wikipedia.com, is also known by its chemical name ethanol, which is a psychoactive substance that is the active ingredient in drinks such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (hard liquor). Alcohol didn’t just become a simple refreshment for parties and such, but it brought people together in different ways. However, studies claim that alcohol consumption is bad for one’s health but after gathering these evidence, I strongly disagree with that.

In order to understand this, let’s have some examples, shall we?


For our first example, Beer. As one of the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drinks in the world, beer is also known as the third most popular drink after water and tea. Alcohol drinking became an essential part of fiestas, birthdays, and parties. Even when there is no special occasion, many Filipinos hang out together in the streets, in front of their houses and convenience stores drinking gin and tonic, which is a considerably cheaper alcoholic drink. The production of beer and other liquors is one of the most profitable industries in the Philippines.

In fact, the country's biggest beer company, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), ranked number nine in Philippine's Top Corporations of 1999 with a total sale of $766 million. SMC sold a total of 327.6 million bottles of beer in 1998. Liquor companies are partly owned by transnational corporations or wealthy Fil-Chinese industrialists whose businesses have been established since the Spanish colonization period in the eighteenth century. (Palbuena)

According to piedmont.org, beer itself is actually good for you! It is more nutritious than any other alcoholic drinks, it can protect your heart, prevent kidney stones, lowers cholesterol, strengthens your bones, helps in reducing stress and it may even improve one’s memory!
In the year 2014, a group of researchers conducted a research experiment, wherein Xanthohumol, a type of flavonoid found in beer, seems to help cognitive function, at least in young mice. The young xanthohumol-treated mice showed a significant improvement in cognitive flexibility. This experiment made us realize how alcohol intake, considering that the intake is in moderate amounts, can actually be beneficial for us.

Another example is wine, an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. Esquire magazine published an interview with Christopher Quimbo, a 30-year-old president and general manager of Calabria, the largest wine producer in the Philippines. He explained that the reason why wine was not that famous in the Philippines is since the wine products that being sold are quite expensive and bitter in taste.

Pidemiological studies indicate that consumption of alcohol at the level of intake in France (20-30 g per day) can reduce the risk of CH D by at least 40%. (M. de Loregil & S. Renaud, PhD, 1992) This shows that drinking wine can actually be good for the body. It might be because of antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols, which may help protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart. One polyphenol found in red wine, called “resveratrol,” may help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and prevent blood clots. (M. de Loregil & S. Renaud, PhD, 1992)

Arthur Agatston, MD, cardiologist and creator of the popular South Beach diet, encourages patients who enjoy alcohol to also drink it with meals. “Alcohol can stimulate the appetite so it is better to drink it with food,” Agatston says. “When alcohol is mixed with food, it can slow the stomach's emptying time and potentially decrease the amount of food consumed at the meal.” (10 Things That Are Actually Good For You, 2015)

Another research has been conducted by the US National Library of Medical National Institutes for Health regarding red wine. Results show that red wine consumption increases antioxidant status and decreases oxidative stress in the circulation of both young and old humans. (M, L, & Lewandowski, 2007)

The cardioprotective effect of wine has been attributed to both components of wine: the alcoholic portion and, more importantly, the alcohol-free portion containing antioxidants. Wines are manufactured from grapes, which also contain a large variety of antioxidants, including resveratrol, catechin, epicatechin, and proanthocyanidins. Resveratrol is mainly found in the grape skin, whereas proanthocyanidins are found only in the seeds. Recent studies have demonstrated that resveratrol and proanthocyanidin are the major compounds present in grapes and wines responsible for cardioprotection. Recently, wine was also found to increase one’s life span by inducing longevity genes. It appears that resveratrol and proanthocyanidins, especially resveratrol, present in grapes and wines play a crucial role in cardioprotective abilities of grapes and wines. (AA & DK, 2009)

With all these researches being conducted by experts, this clearly shows that alcohol is not actually bad for the body. Instead, we should always consider this meaningful quote by Mark Twain: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.”Everything starts with self-control. We know what’s good and what’s bad for us. Set your limits. Alcohol, as one of the things needed for almost every occasion or meal, should be taken moderately. In other words, we should drink responsibly.

Think about this. Drinking too much alcoholic drinks is the same thing as drinking too much water. You drink too much water, you die. You drink less water, well, you’ll probably end up being dehydrated. Alcohol becomes helpful in our daily lives. Imagine all that stress from work or school projects piling up and you know that you need something soothing enough to relax your mind. All you got to do is grab a glass, pour some liquor in there, read a book or listen to some smooth classical music, sit and chill. Let go of all those piled up work for now, just let the alcohol do the work for you!






References

10 Things That Are Actually Good For You. (2015, January 29). Retrieved from Medical Bag: https://www.medicalbag.com/grey-matter/10-bad-things-that-are-really-good-for-you/article/472887/

AA, B., & DK, D. (2009, December). Grapes, wines, resveratrol, and heart health. Retrieved from Grapes, wines, resveratrol, and heart health. - PubMed - NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19770673#

M, M., L, L., & Lewandowski, P. (2007, September 24). Red wine consumption increases antioxidant status and decreases oxidative stress in the circulation of both young and old humans. Retrieved from Red wine consumption increases antioxidant status and decreases oxidative stress in the circulation of both young and old humans. - PubMed - NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17888186

M. de Loregil, M., & S. Renaud, PhD. (1992). The Lancet. Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart disease, 1523-1526.

Palbuena, J. P. (n.d.). Alcohol and Media: The situation in the Philippines. Retrieved from apapaonine.org: http://apapaonline.org/data/National_Data/Philippines/Alcohol_Media_Philippines.pdf

Zamzow, D. R., Elias, V., Legette, L. L., Choi, J., Stevens, J., & Magnusson, K. R. (2014). Behavioral Brain Research. Xanthohumol improved cognitive flexibility in young mice, 1-10.