Beer And Health: A Daily Drink, Good Or Bad?

Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks worldwide. While an occasional cold beer may not pose significant health risks, drinking beer every day can have various effects on your body and health.

According to the USDA, a standard beer in the US is 12 ounces or 355 ml with 5% alcohol by volume. However, the alcohol content in beer varies, with some microbrews containing more than 5% ABV.

The immediate and long-term health consequences of drinking beer daily depend on the amount consumed. While moderate drinking may have certain benefits, excessive consumption can lead to weight gain, liver damage, heart disease, mental health issues, disrupted sleep patterns, and an increased risk of certain cancers.

- Weight Gain: Beer is calorie-dense, and excess consumption can lead to abdominal obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI), especially in men.

- Liver Damage: The liver metabolises alcohol, and chronic beer consumption can lead to liver inflammation, scarring, and eventually, liver failure.

- Increased Risk of Heart Disease: While moderate drinking is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, excessive beer consumption can have the opposite effect, increasing the risk of hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and stroke.

- Mental Health Issues: Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of developing mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.

- Disrupted Sleep: While alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, it can interfere with sleep quality, leading to fragmented sleep, frequent awakenings, and daytime drowsiness.

- Increased Cancer Risk: Regular beer consumption is associated with an increased risk of liver, breast, colon, and oesophageal cancer due to the ethanol in beer being metabolised into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

- Kidney Problems: Beer is diuretic and can put extra strain on the kidneys, leading to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and, in the long run, kidney stones or kidney failure.

- Vitamin Deficiency: Regular beer intake may increase the demand for certain vitamins and minerals, particularly B vitamins, which are needed to metabolise alcohol, potentially leading to vitamin deficiencies over time.

It is important to note that the definition of moderate drinking varies between men and women. For men, moderate consumption is generally considered to be up to two drinks per day or 14 per week, while for women, it is up to one drink per day or seven per week.

Additionally, individual factors such as age, weight, gender, and overall health play a significant role in determining one's tolerance for alcohol. Therefore, it is essential to know your limits and stick to them to avoid potential health problems associated with heavy drinking.

Weight gain

Drinking beer every day can have a significant impact on weight gain, and this is influenced by various factors, including diet, gender, age, and overall health.

Beer is known for its high calorie content, with a typical beer containing around 150 calories. Excessive consumption can lead to a surplus of calories, which can result in weight gain over time. The high calorie content, coupled with the tendency for beer to increase appetite, can lead to increased food consumption and further weight gain. This is particularly true when drinking beer in social settings, where fatty foods like pizza, wings, and fried foods are often consumed alongside beer.

The link between beer consumption and weight gain is also influenced by age and gender. As people get older, their calorie needs decrease, and they tend to become less active, making it easier to gain weight. Additionally, men tend to store more fat in their bellies due to having less subcutaneous fat, while women's bodies tend to store fat in the arms, thighs, and buttocks.

Furthermore, beer contains alcohol, which can affect the hormones that control appetite, hunger, and stress. This can lead to increased food consumption and weight gain. The liver also prioritizes breaking down alcohol instead of fat, which means that fat is not burned efficiently during drinking.

While light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may not directly cause weight gain, regular heavy drinking can lead to weight gain over time. To maintain a healthy weight, it is important to consume beer in moderation, ensuring it does not replace healthy, nutrient-rich foods and that physical activity is maintained.

Liver damage

Drinking beer, even in moderate amounts, can have adverse effects on the liver. Alcoholic liver disease is caused by alcohol abuse and can lead to cirrhosis or hepatitis. While not all heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic liver disease, the chances of getting the disease increase with the amount of alcohol consumed and the duration of drinking.

Alcoholic liver disease can cause scarring and cirrhosis, which is the final phase of the disease. Cirrhosis is a serious and often irreversible condition that can lead to fatal liver failure or liver cancer. Over time, patients with cirrhosis may experience fatigue, weakness, muscle wasting, increased pressure in the liver, accumulation of fluids in the abdomen and legs, bleeding from veins in the esophagus, confusion, decreased concentration, and behavioural changes.

Even without progressing to cirrhosis, excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to three types of liver disease: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcohol-related cirrhosis. Fatty liver is the earliest stage of alcohol-related liver disease and is preventable and reversible if treated early by abstaining from alcohol. Alcoholic hepatitis is the inflammation and swelling of the liver, which can vary in severity and progress to more severe liver damage if the patient does not stop drinking. Alcohol-related cirrhosis is a serious condition that develops after years of heavy drinking, in which scar tissue builds up and replaces most of the liver cells.

To prevent liver damage, it is important to drink in moderation or abstain from alcohol completely. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends limiting daily alcohol intake to two drinks or less for men and one drink or less for women.

Heart disease

While drinking a beer a day may not be harmful to your health, excessive drinking can lead to heart disease.

Alcohol and Heart Disease

Moderate drinking—defined as one drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day for men—has been linked to a lower risk of dying from heart disease. Alcohol may help your heart in a few ways:

• It raises HDL or "good" cholesterol.
• It prevents blood from clotting, which may reduce the risk of heart attacks.
• It helps prevent damage caused by high LDL, the "bad" cholesterol.

However, doctors aren't sure if these benefits are directly caused by alcohol or other lifestyle choices that light drinkers make. For example, moderate drinkers may be more likely to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, which can also lower the risk of heart disease.

Risks of Excessive Drinking

Excessive drinking can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease. Heavy drinking can:

• Cause high blood pressure, which makes the heart work harder.
• Contribute to obesity, as alcoholic drinks are a source of excess calories.
• Lead to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart changes shape due to long-term heavy alcohol use, causing long-term damage and leading to heart failure.
• Increase the risk of blood clots, which can cause strokes.
• Cause cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythms.
• Interfere with the medications commonly taken by people with heart failure, such as blood thinners.

Recommendations

If you don't drink already, it's not recommended to start. If you do drink, moderation is key. Binge drinking—four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in about two hours—is especially harmful and can cause irregular heart rhythms.

Mental health

Drinking beer or alcohol in general can have a significant impact on one's mental health. Alcohol is a depressant that can disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, affecting one's feelings, thoughts, and behaviour. While a drink may initially lead to feelings of relaxation, reduced anxiety, and increased confidence, these effects are short-lived. As the effects of alcohol wear off, one may experience more negative feelings, such as anger, depression, or anxiety.

Alcohol also slows down the brain's ability to process information, making it challenging to understand one's true feelings and the potential consequences of one's actions. Additionally, long-term alcohol use can deplete the number of neurotransmitters in the brain, which are necessary to ward off anxiety and depression. This can create a cycle of dependence, where one drinks more to relieve these negative feelings.

Research has shown that people who consume alcohol are more likely to develop mental health issues. At the same time, those with severe mental health problems are more prone to alcohol misuse. This may be because they "self-medicate," attempting to manage their symptoms or difficult feelings with alcohol. Regular heavy drinking is associated with symptoms of depression, and individuals with depression who stop drinking often experience an improvement in their mental health within a few weeks.

Alcohol can also worsen anxiety, providing only a very short-lived sense of relaxation. Over time, relying on alcohol to manage anxiety can lead to alcohol dependence. Additionally, the physical health problems, debt, and housing issues associated with long-term alcohol misuse can further impact one's mental health.

It is important to note that moderate drinking has been linked to certain benefits, such as improved heart health. However, other research suggests that even moderate drinking can have negative consequences, and the only safe amount of alcohol is none at all.

Sleep disruption

Drinking beer every day can disrupt your sleep. Even light alcohol consumption can negatively impact your sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one reason for poor sleep after drinking is that the production of adenosine, a chemical in the brain that acts as a sleep-inducer, increases while drinking, allowing you to fall asleep quickly. However, this chemical quickly subsides, making you more likely to wake up throughout the night.

Drinking before bed is also linked with more slow-wave sleep patterns called delta activity, but alpha activity, which indicates wakefulness with eyes closed and often precedes sleep, is turned on at the same time. Experiencing these two brain wave activities at the same time is thought to inhibit quality rest. Additionally, alcohol inhibits REM sleep, which is often considered the most mentally restorative phase of sleep.

A 2018 study found that alcohol had significant effects on sleep quality, regardless of whether consumption was light, moderate, or heavy. The study found that low alcohol intake reduced sleep quality by 9.3%, moderate alcohol intake by 24%, and heavy alcohol intake by nearly 40%.

Experts recommend that you avoid alcohol for at least three hours before bedtime.

Frequently asked questions