Two Beers A Night: Healthy Habit Or Slow Poison?

Drinking two beers a night is not uncommon, but is it healthy? Well, it depends.

According to official guidelines, men should limit their alcohol intake to two drinks or less per day, and women to one drink or less. Drinking at this level may reduce—but not eliminate—risks. However, past research has overestimated the benefits of moderate drinking, and current research points to added risks, such as an increased likelihood of breast cancer, even with low levels of consumption.

Drinking two beers a night can affect your sleep, weight loss process, and digestive health. It can also increase your risk of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and certain types of cancer. On the other hand, some studies suggest that moderate drinking may have some health benefits, such as improved heart health and blood sugar control, stronger bones, and reduced dementia risk.

So, is drinking two beers every night healthy? It depends on various factors, including your overall health, family history, and lifestyle choices. While it may not be inherently unhealthy to have two beers a night, it's important to be mindful of your consumption and make choices that align with your overall health and lifestyle goals.

Weight gain

Drinking two beers every night could lead to weight gain. Alcohol is high in calories, with a typical beer containing 150 calories. These calories add up quickly if you're drinking several in one sitting, leading to a calorie overload. Alcohol also inhibits your body from burning fat. When you consume alcohol, your liver prioritises breaking it down over burning fat. This can slow down your entire fat-burning process and lead to weight gain.

The calories in alcohol can turn a trim waistline into a protruding beer belly. While not all beer drinkers develop a beer belly, alcohol intake is associated with bigger waists. This is because when you drink alcohol, your liver burns alcohol instead of fat. Beer is particularly blamed for weight gain because alcohol calories are easy to overdo.

The foods you eat while drinking beer can also contribute to weight gain. Alcohol increases your appetite and is often accompanied by fatty foods like pizza, wings, and fried foods. This combination of alcohol and high-calorie food can result in a significant calorie intake.

The effect of alcohol on weight gain varies between individuals. Factors such as your unique body composition, lifestyle, physical activity level, and overall health play a role in determining whether you will gain weight from drinking alcohol. However, it's important to note that excessive alcohol consumption has serious health risks beyond weight gain, including high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, and an increased risk of certain types of cancer.

To maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of health complications, it's recommended to limit alcohol consumption. For women, it's advised to have one drink or less per day, and for men, it's recommended to have two drinks or less per day. These guidelines aim to minimise alcohol-related risks, but it's important to remember that the less alcohol consumed, the better.

Sleep disruption

Alcohol is known to cause sleep disruption, even in moderate amounts. It can affect the brain's communication pathways and its ability to process information. This can lead to a decrease in sleep quality, with more deep sleep and less REM sleep initially, followed by an increase in light sleep later in the night, resulting in frequent wakings and fragmented sleep.

The impact of alcohol on sleep can be both acute and chronic. Acute effects include a decrease in sleep onset latency and changes in sleep architecture, with more deep sleep and less REM sleep early in the night when blood alcohol levels are high. This is followed by disrupted, poor-quality sleep later in the night. Chronic effects of alcohol on sleep include insomnia, which is common in people with alcohol dependence, both during drinking and withdrawal periods.

Alcohol can also interfere with circadian rhythms, disrupting the body's sensitivity to cues like daylight and darkness, which trigger shifts in body temperature and melatonin secretion. This can lead to feelings of alertness when one wants to sleep and sleepiness when one wants to be awake.

Additionally, alcohol can aggravate snoring and sleep apnea, causing physiological changes that affect the airway and increasing the likelihood and duration of breathing events during sleep. It can also interfere with the brain's ability to receive chemical messages involved in breathing, further disrupting sleep.

Overall, alcohol and sleep do not mix well, and it is recommended to avoid alcohol at least three hours before bedtime to minimise its disruptive effects on sleep.

Addiction

Drinking two beers every night may be a sign of addiction, which is a mental health problem. Alcohol addiction, or Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a recognised condition that affects almost 15 million Americans. Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the US, and its relative accessibility due to its low alcohol by volume (ABV) means that it is a common contributor to AUD.

You may be addicted to beer if you:

• Think about beer constantly, even when you are not drinking
• Cannot control the amount of alcohol you drink
• Take part in binge drinking (4+ beers in one sitting)
• Drink more than 2 beers per day or 8-12+ per week
• Feel like beer is hurting other parts of your life, like your work or relationships
• Experience withdrawal symptoms and cravings when you try to quit

If you are addicted to beer, you may benefit from a dedicated addiction treatment program. This could include a detox program, medication, therapy, and support groups.

It is important to note that drinking two beers every night can also have negative health consequences beyond addiction. Alcohol is a drug, and even moderate drinking can be linked to diseases like breast cancer and an increased risk of stroke. Drinking every night is considered "risky" drinking, which can damage your liver, increase your risk of stroke, and cause heart issues and high blood pressure.

Health risks

Drinking two beers every night is not advisable due to the health risks associated with alcohol consumption. While light to moderate alcohol intake has been linked to certain health benefits, such as improved heart health and blood sugar control, heavy drinking can lead to serious negative consequences. Here are some health risks associated with drinking two beers every night:

Increased Risk of Chronic Diseases

Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of developing various chronic diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heavy drinking can increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and cardiomyopathy, a disorder affecting the heart muscle.

Weight Gain

Alcoholic beverages, including beer, contain calories that can contribute to weight gain. A standard 12-ounce beer typically contains around 150-200 calories. Consuming multiple drinks regularly can lead to an excess calorie intake, which can result in weight gain over time.

Disrupted Sleep

Alcohol can affect the brain's communication pathways and impair sleep quality, even when consumed in light amounts. A study published in JMIR Mental Health found that even light drinkers experienced a 9.3% decrease in sleep quality.

Digestive Issues

Alcohol can irritate the small intestine and colon, affecting normal digestion and absorption processes. It can also alter the bacteria in the gut and increase the risk of intestinal inflammation and alcohol-related diseases, such as alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Increased Risk of Certain Cancers

Alcohol consumption has been linked to an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer, including mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, and breast cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that alcohol consumption accounts for 6% of all cancers and 4% of cancer deaths in the United States.

Liver Disease

Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol can lead to liver diseases such as cirrhosis, which is characterized by scarring of the liver and can be life-threatening.

Alcohol Dependence and Mental Health Issues

Frequent alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol dependence and increase the risk of mental health issues such as depression. Research suggests that heavy and binge drinkers have a significantly higher risk of depression compared to moderate drinkers and non-drinkers.

It is important to note that these health risks may vary depending on individual factors such as age, gender, medical history, and other lifestyle choices. To maintain overall health and well-being, it is generally recommended to limit alcohol consumption and practice moderation.

Calories

The calories in beer depend mostly on its alcohol content and, to a lesser extent, on its carbohydrate content. The higher the ABV, the more calories in your beer. For example, a 12-ounce lager with 4.5% ABV has 135 calories, while a 12-ounce barrel-aged stout with 10.5% ABV has 315 calories. A simple formula to calculate the calories in a beer is: ABV% x 2.5 x ounces of beer. So, if your beer is 16 ounces and 6% ABV, it has about 240 calories.

Light beers with very low alcohol content (2% to 3% ABV) start at around 60 calories for 12 ounces. Most light beers (4% ABV) have about 100 calories. Regular beers with 5% ABV, like Budweiser, have around 150 calories. Heavy hitters like IPAs, double or imperial IPAs, and Belgian-style Trippels (7% to 11% ABV) pack 200 to 300 calories. A lower-alcohol "session" IPA cuts that to about 140 calories. Newer "lo-cal" IPAs have as few as 100 calories.

Draft pours can be even higher in calories. A 16- or 20-ounce glass of an average beer contains 200 to 250 calories.

Compared to wine or spirits like whiskey, beer tends to contain more calories. Dietary guidelines recommend no more than two alcoholic beverages per day for men and no more than one alcoholic beverage per day for women. These limits help protect your liver and heart.

Frequently asked questions