Does alcohol have any health benefits? And how much alcohol can you drink before it affects your waistline?

Alcohol offers a mixed legacy to our society, having long been used in a broad range of social, cultural and religious contexts. In fact, we’ve been drinking fermented beverages for about 10,000 years.

In Australia, per capita alcohol consumption has been decreasing over the last 50 years. But even though Australia has seen a general reduction in alcohol consumption, it still contributes to a significant amount of disease as reported by the World Health Organization. In fact, it’s linked to more than 200 diseases, including cancer, heart disease and liver disease.

And that’s due to the active ingredient found in alcoholic beverages - a simple molecule called ethanol. This molecule affects the body in many different ways. The one we’re most familiar with is how it affects our thinking. It interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. But it also directly influences the stomach, heart, gallbladder, and liver, and increases the amount of cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin in the blood all of which impact our health and weight.

BUT is it all bad news or are there some benefits from drinking alcohol? Can it be part of a healthy lifestyle? Join Dr Nick as he takes you on a deep dive into the science to find out.

Relevant studies and resources can be found here:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34601742/

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565639

https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(18)31571-X/fulltext

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1471902/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27459455/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10920059/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16420195/

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.cir.102.19.2347

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19770673/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12070110/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16759314/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3292347/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832299/

For more help on your health and weight loss journey, check out the IWL award-winning program found here: https://intervalweightloss.com/

For advice on what to eat and how to eat throughout the day, check out this 1-minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_YiyHTRPA

For resistance training circuits you can do in the comfort of your own home, check out these 30-minute workouts here: https://youtu.be/n9qYzjLY9G4

---------------

Dr Nick Fuller is a Leading Obesity Expert at the University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and the founder of the IWL program: https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/nick.fuller

He holds the following qualifications:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Obesity Treatment - The University of Sydney

Bachelors Degree, Human Movement & Sports Science - University of Technology, Sydney

Masters Degree, Nutrition & Dietetics - The University of Sydney