Many adults enjoy wine as part of their nightly routine, whether it’s to complement a home-cooked meal, unwind after a busy day, or just out of habit. the impact of wine on your health depends on the frequency and amount consumed, which is why there are positive and negative long-term results associated with the consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages. The good news is that wine can be part of a healthy lifestyle if enjoyed in the appropriate amounts. Read on to learn five long-term potentials side effects of drinking wine.
Weight gain
Excessive consumption of calories of any kind, whether from protein, carbohydrates, fat, or alcohol, is likely to result in weight gain. While carbohydrates and protein each contain 4 calories per gram, alcohol has 7 and fat contains 9. This makes alcohol more calorie-dense than other macronutrients, which is just one of the ways it can contribute to weight gain. Also, alcohol is often combined with other ingredients that contain calories. soda, juice, and simple syrup are just a few of these sugar-dense mixers that frequently accompany alcohol. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that some popular drinks, like daisiesit can easily contain 300 calories or more per serving.
Alcohol is also absorbed differently in the body compared to macronutrients. Because alcohol is considered a toxin, the body will prioritize its metabolism over other nutrients, which can lead to reduced body fat burning and more challenges with weight management.
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hormones
Hormones are like chemical messengers in the body, traveling through the bloodstream to give instructions to various tissues and organs. These essential compounds with wide-ranging functions make up the endocrine system, which controls metabolism, growth and development, stress, and reproduction, just to name a few.
One study suggests that chronic consumption of large amounts of alcohol can alter the way the nervous, endocrine and immune systems communicate, which could lead to hormonal disruption with worrying consequences. Because hormones serve functions within so many body systems, a hormonal disruption could affect reproduction, mental and behavioral health, immune function, and more. It is important to note that moderate alcohol consumption is defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one per day for women. Many of the observed hormonal abnormalities were seen in relation to alcohol consumption beyond the recommendation. While moderate drinking is less likely to cause such interruptions, drinking less alcohol is better for your health than drinking more.
Sleep
Alcohol has a significant impact on sleep quality, so constant long-term wine consumption could negatively affect sleep quality. Alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system, which slows brain activity and can also induce a feeling of relaxation and drowsiness. In some cases, this can allow someone to fall asleep faster, while others may experience delayed sleep onset. As the alcohol in the body continues to be broken down during the night, sleep disruptions and decreased quality of sleep become more likely. While lower amounts of alcohol consumption are likely to cause less significant disruptions in sleep quality, high levels of consumption (more than two drinks per day for men and one for women) can reduce sleep quality by 39%.
Sleep deficiencies, whether alcohol-related or not, can lead to serious conditions including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and premature mortality, according to Harvard Medical School.
heart health
Things get a bit complicated here when it comes to how alcohol can affect your cardiovascular system. The amount of wine consumed determines the impact on your heart health. Weather some studies show that moderate wine consumption is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), other research shows that chronic consumption of large amounts of alcohol can result in alcoholic cardiomyopathya condition that leads to weakening of the heart muscle.
The reason Red wine, in particular, may have a positive impact on your heart health due to high concentrations of antioxidants, such as flavonoids and resveratrol. These compounds are believed to improve the profiles of blood lipids, such as cholesterol, and reduce insulin resistance, a condition that can severely affect the body’s ability to utilize carbohydrates and is a risk factor for diabetes. Drinking one or two glasses of wine a day, for women and men, respectively, can cause these positive resultswhile higher consumption can actually lead to lower heart health.
liver health
This essential organ is responsible for breaking down and metabolizing the nutrients and compounds in our blood. This includes detoxifying the alcohol into a less harmful substance for the body. There are three main ways to liver diseaseall of which can be induced by chronic and excessive alcohol consumption. fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis make up the different types of liver disease, all conditions that can severely impact the proper functioning of the liver. Because one cannot live without a functioning liver, reaching a moderate threshold for alcohol consumption is essential to maintaining liver health.
All forms of alcohol, including wine, can affect your health when consumed in amounts that are too high for too long. In addition to these side effects of alcohol consumption, research it also suggests that long-term use may increase the risk of developing cancers of the colon, liver, esophagus, mouth, and breast. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation to be safely included as part of a healthy lifestyle.
