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Women & Alcohol: A Faustian Bargain

If you’ve ever gleefully declared, “Well, it’s happy hour somewhere in the world,” you’re certainly not alone. In fact, according to Gallup News in July 2022, 67% percent of Americans regularly consume alcohol, up from 60% of us in 2021. Interestingly, our all-time American high was during the 1970s, with 71% of us hoisting our glasses. Infer what you will.

As you may know, most medical experts consider moderate intake to be 2 drinks/day for men and 1/day for women. Do you ever wonder what this counsel is based upon? It should perhaps be noted alongside this “guideline” that even one drink a day increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, “There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The risk of breast cancer increases with each unit of alcohol consumed per day. More than 10% of alcohol-attributable cancer cases arise from drinking just 1 bottle of beer (500 ml) or 2 small glasses of wine (100 ml each) every day.(1)

Another challenge with imbibing is it can make it harder to maintain whatever is a healthy weight for us as individuals. No surprise, given that  alcohol packs a whopping 7 calories per gram, which is more than either protein or carbohydrates, which are both 4 calories per gram on average, with fat weighing in at 9 calories/gram.

This high calorie content is compounded by the fact that when we drink, alcohol can’t be used directly by your muscles. Instead it travels into your bloodstream, where it has to be metabolized before your body can start to burn any food calories you may have consumed along with it. Alcohol also suppresses “lipid oxidation,” meaning that when you’re drinking, your body is less likely to burn calories and more likely to store them as fat. And here’s the kicker. That “non-oxidized” fat is most likely to be deposited right where it is most dangerous and least alluring, your belly.(2)

If you choose to drink but prefer to avoid weight gain, it’s important to balance food and cocktail calories along with your daily physical exertion, because as we know, if we consume more calories than we burn, the surplus is stored as fat. It also makes sense’s also worth suggesting that, As alcohol consists of sugar and empty calories, it also makes sense to compensate your system with the healthiest foods you can manage when imbibing. 

Naturally, some adult beverages are far more calorie-laden than others. The following list of libations and their approximate calorie counts (per serving) may surprise you:

  • Vodka shot = 60 calories
  • Rum and Diet Coke = 70 calories
  • White Wine = 95 calories
  • Champagne = 100 calories
  • Light beer = 105 calories
  • Gin and tonic = 110 calories
  • Red Wine = 119 calories
  • Pilsner-style beers = 135 calories
  • Cosmopolitan = 150 calories
  • Heavier beer styles = 230 calories/pint
  • Smirnoff Black = 230 calories
  • Vodka Mudshake = 285 calories
  • Piña Colada = 290 calories

If you decide you want to scale back your consumption, for health, fitness, personal issues, a family history of addiction, or any other reason, these tips can help:

  • Alternate a glass of water between drinks.
  • Fill your cup with ice first, and keep topping it off with more ice as you drink.
  • Avoid sugary, cheap cocktail mixers, as well as sweet dessert drinks. For example, a typical cup of spiked eggnog contains around 400 calories and over 13 grams of fat!
  • Create lighter, healthier drinks, mixing a half-shot of liquor with a cup of fresh squeezed lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit juice.
  • Love mocktails. Get creative with fun, tasty, non-alcoholic drinks to enjoy in addition to cocktails, and to offer non-drinkers.
  • Create and seek out non-drinking activities with family and friends, such as hiking, walking, touring new areas, browsing famer’s, craft and artisan markets markets, taking classes/workshops together, etc.
  • Start or join a book club with like-minded allies.
  • Make your own cool version of the British “High Tea” ritual. It’s a great entertaining theme.

Consuming alcohol is obviously a personal choice. However, keeping your consumption as moderate as possible will help protect your body and mind in the years to come. Cheers!

(1) https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health#:~:text=The%20risks%20and%20harms%20associated,that%20does%20not%20affect%20health.

(2) Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 2005;42(3):197-227

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