The Benefits Breakdown

Most of the epidemiological studies about moderate alcohol consumption suggest the biggest benefits of moderate drinking are to the cardiovascular system. Dozens of studies connect moderate drinking with a reduced risk of heart attack, ischemic stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes.

There are many possible explanations for these protective effects. Randomized trials consistently demonstrate that moderate daily alcohol intake appears to significantly increase HDL-cholesterol levels. Higher levels of this “good” cholesterol are associated with reductions in coronary heart disease risk. Studies also suggest moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent stroke by decreasing blood levels of a protein that promotes clot formation and increasing levels of an enzyme that helps dissolve clots.

But any benefits are negligible for people under 40. Men over 40 years of age who regularly drink between one and two drinks per day are generally found to have the lowest all-cause mortality. For women, it appears the protective benefits of moderate alcohol consumption may be irrelevant until after menopause. No evidence suggests that drinking in your 30s protects you from having a heart attack in your 50s.

The potential benefits of moderate drinking aren't limited to the heart, however. A long-term study reveals that type 2 diabetes is less likely to occur in moderate drinkers than in nondrinkers. Also, some evidence shows that moderate alcohol consumption inhibits the formation of cholesterol-type gallstones. Some research suggests that consuming alcohol in moderate amounts may help ward off Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia as well.

Read this Article from Drug and Alcohol Dependence on the psychological benefits associated with moderate alcohol use.

Is Wine Better?

There is no conclusive evidence that any one type of alcoholic drink offers more protection against heart disease than another. Some studies suggest that wine's health benefits are superior to beer and liquor because of certain compounds in red wine, such as resveratrol and flavonoids. But other studies document the same cardiovascular benefits with all three major forms of alcohol.

System Overload

If you do have an occasional drink, it can be easy to overdo it, even if you don't intend to. After one drink, inhibitions become lowered and judgment can be impaired, making it difficult to adhere to your limits.

Over time, anything beyond moderate drinking can lead to a chronic increase in blood pressure. High blood pressure associated with heavy drinking makes the heart work harder than it needs to and can be a key risk factor for coronary heart disease, leading to heart attacks and strokes. In addition, with increased intake of alcohol, levels of triglycerides in the blood can become elevated, which could contribute to heart problems.

Following alcohol's path through your body helps demonstrate how easy it is to overload your system and accelerate your body's aging.

After alcohol passes your lips, it travels into your stomach and small intestine, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream. Your blood alcohol content depends on how quickly you drink it, as well as on:

• Carbonation -- this may increase absorption speed.
• Stomach contents -- solid food impedes alcohol absorption.
• Gender -- women have less alcohol-metabolizing enzyme and tend to feel alcohol's effects more quickly than men.
• Age -- alcohol concentration will reach a higher level in the blood of people over 65 and will circulate in the body longer.
• Weight -- the less a person weighs, the higher that person's blood alcohol content from drinking a given amount of alcohol.

Once in your bloodstream, alcohol quickly travels through the blood via a network of arteries to your heart, brain, lungs, and organs until it can be broken down. A small amount of the alcohol taken into the body leaves through the lungs, kidneys, and skin, but it is your liver's job to break down the majority of the alcohol with enzymes, purging the blood and body of alcohol's toxic by-products.

However, this is a slow process. The liver can generally only process 1 ounce of liquor an hour. Consuming more than this saturates your system, causing the additional alcohol to accumulate in the blood and body tissues until it can be metabolized. The more alcohol in your blood, the greater the effect on your vital organs.

Repairing Past Damage

Can you make up for any of the aging you may have caused your body from past overindulgences? Fortunately, if harmful drinking habits are addressed at an early stage, many of the damaging effects can be reversed either by cutting back on, or abstaining from, alcohol consumption.

Find out more about moderate drinking from Moderation Management, a national support group network for cutting back or quitting.

Identify risky drinking with this Boston University self-assessment tool, "How much is too much?"

Exercising Discretion

Abstaining from alcohol does not make your RealAge older. Most health experts agree that if you don't already drink, the new research on the health benefits of alcohol is not a reason to start.

Whether you choose to drink should also depend on your health interests and health concerns. Certain health conditions require avoiding alcohol completely. Individuals who have liver or pancreatic disease or who have had a hemorrhagic stroke should not consume alcohol because even small amounts could cause serious health complications. And you should refrain from drinking alcohol if your doctor has identified any precancerous signs of cancer of the esophagus, larynx, pharynx, or mouth; some studies suggest having two drinks a day greatly increases your risk for oral and esophageal cancers.

It's also important to consider family history and personal concerns when it comes to drinking. For instance, those with a family history of alcoholism have an increased risk of alcoholism themselves.

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer might decide to forgo alcohol altogether because even small amounts of alcohol may increase breast cancer risk by 30%. However, several recent studies suggest sufficient folate intake may modify the association between alcohol intake and breast cancer risk.

Individuals with conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, ulcers, severe acid reflux, and sleep apnea should seek advice from their healthcare provider about alcohol consumption.

Because alcohol is a depressant at elevated doses, long-term misuse or abuse can ultimately increase anxiety and cause depression. It is also related to problems with sleeping and mood. Alcohol prevents deep sleep and interferes with REM-stage sleep, the dreaming stage of sleep that stimulates the learning centers of the brain. When your blood-alcohol level drops, you begin dreaming much later in the night. This change in sleep pattern may explain why people often feel irritable and somewhat disoriented after a night of heavy drinking.

What's Right for You?

Alcohol is not an essential part of RealAge living. It is not a health food or wonder drug. But for some people it can be an enjoyable complement to a healthy RealAge lifestyle. Your approach to drinking must be reasonable and responsible. If you practice moderation, alcohol can offer some valuable health benefits, particularly for people over 40.