Beer Drinking: Daily Habit Or Unhealthy Choice?

Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks worldwide, and its consumption has been associated with several health benefits, such as increased bone density, improved heart health, and better lipid levels. However, excessive consumption can lead to adverse effects, including an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and early death. So, how much beer is too much?

According to the CDC, excessive drinking can be categorised into binge drinking and heavy drinking. Binge drinking is defined as consuming enough alcohol to reach a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 g/dl or higher. For men, this typically occurs after five or more drinks within two hours, while for women, it is four or more drinks. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming eight or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more drinks per week for men.

Excessive drinking can lead to several health issues, including unintentional injuries, violence, risky sexual behaviours, memory and learning problems, early dementia, tissue and organ damage, chronic diseases, gastrointestinal issues, a weakened immune system, and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It can also negatively impact one's personal and professional life, leading to decreased productivity, job loss, financial issues, and relationship problems.

While moderate drinking may offer some health benefits, heavy drinking can reverse these positives. Moderate drinking is defined as one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

So, is drinking beer every day bad for you? The answer depends on the amount consumed. While one to two beers per day is generally considered safe for most individuals, exceeding this amount regularly can lead to adverse health effects and increase the risk of developing various health issues.

Health Risks: cancer, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, etc

Health Risks of Drinking Beer Daily

Drinking beer daily can have several adverse effects on your health, increasing the risk of cancer, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.

Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, there is a strong scientific consensus that alcohol consumption can cause several types of cancer. Even those who have no more than one drink per day and binge drinkers have a modestly increased risk of some cancers. The more alcohol a person drinks, the higher their risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer. Clear patterns have emerged between alcohol consumption and the development of head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Liver Disease

Alcohol is a major risk factor for liver disease in general and liver cirrhosis in particular. Alcohol consumption, particularly heavy use over time, has been found to be crucial in the etiology and progression of these diseases. The risk for liver cirrhosis increases exponentially with alcohol consumption, and women may be at higher risk compared to men even with little alcohol consumption.

Cardiovascular Disease

There is a J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk. The lowest risk of CVD mortality is seen with alcohol consumption of 15-30g per day, but it is still low at intakes of up to 60g per day compared to non-drinkers. Alcohol consumption of 25-100g of alcohol per day is still associated with a lower relative risk of coronary heart disease in men. However, at these levels of consumption, there is an increased risk of some cancers and accidents, increasing the risk of overall mortality.

Stroke

There is a J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke. The relative risk is lowest with an intake of up to 15g of alcohol per day and increases when consumption exceeds this amount. For both men and women, the lowest relative risk was seen with consumption of around 12g of alcohol per day. Consumption of more than 35g per day for men and 44g per day for women increases the relative risk.

High Blood Pressure

Consumption of up to 20g of alcohol per day modestly lowers the risk of hypertension in women compared to abstainers, whereas higher alcohol consumption significantly increases hypertension risk. Among men, there is no relative risk reduction with an alcohol intake of less than 30g per day, and above 30g per day, the relative risk of hypertension increases.

Binge Drinking: defined by gender and number of drinks

Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or more. This typically happens when a woman consumes four or more drinks or a man consumes five or more drinks within about two hours. Binge drinking is more common among men, particularly during adolescence and young adulthood.

According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 61.4 million people aged 12 and older in the United States reported binge drinking in the past month. While rates of binge drinking are decreasing among preteens, teens, and young adults, they remain high, with 28.7% of people aged 18-25 engaging in binge drinking in 2023. Binge drinking among older adults is also a concern, with about 12% of adults over 65 reporting binge drinking in the past month.

Binge drinking can have serious health consequences, including acute harm such as blackouts and overdoses, as well as an increased risk of unsafe sexual behavior, sexually transmitted infections, and unintentional pregnancy. It also increases the likelihood of potentially deadly consequences, including falls, burns, drownings, and car crashes. Even a single episode of binge drinking can compromise the immune system and lead to acute pancreatitis in individuals with underlying pancreatic damage.

Frequent binge drinking can lead to brain damage faster and more severely than chronic drinking. This is due to the release of large amounts of glutamate, which overstimulates the brain. Each binge drinking episode causes immediate damage to the brain, and repeat episodes result in accumulating harm. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of binge drinking, and some evidence suggests that brain damage can occur from drinking more than 10 or 11 drinks once or twice per month.

Binge drinking is also associated with an increased risk of various types of cancer, including head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast, and colorectal cancers. It can also negatively impact cardiovascular health, with heavy drinking linked to an increased risk of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. Additionally, binge drinking can cause gastrointestinal issues, disrupt sleep, and slow down weight loss.

While light to moderate beer consumption may have some health benefits, such as decreasing the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, excessive consumption can lead to negative health consequences. It is important to consume alcohol in moderation and responsibly, following guidelines that recommend limiting daily intake to two drinks or less for men and one drink or less for women.

Heavy Drinking: defined by gender and number of drinks

Heavy drinking is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as consuming a certain number of drinks within a given timeframe. The specific definition takes into account gender differences and is based on the amount of alcohol that can be safely metabolised by the body.

For men, heavy drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks on any given day or 15 or more drinks per week. This equates to roughly 60 grams of pure alcohol per day and 210 grams per week. For women, the threshold is lower, with heavy drinking defined as consuming four or more drinks on any day or eight or more drinks per week. This corresponds to approximately 48 grams of pure alcohol per day and 168 grams per week.

These thresholds are based on the fact that alcohol distributes itself evenly in body water, and women generally have a lower proportion of water in their bodies compared to men. As a result, women tend to have a higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) after consuming the same amount of alcohol as men, putting them at greater risk for alcohol-related harm.

Heavy drinking increases the likelihood of acute harm, such as blackouts and overdoses, and also raises the risk of chronic health issues, including liver disease, cardiomyopathy, and several types of cancer. It is important to note that even drinking within the recommended limits can have negative health consequences, and the potential benefits of moderate drinking are often outweighed by the risks. Therefore, it is crucial to consume alcohol in moderation and responsibly, always staying within the recommended limits.

Alcohol Use Disorder: an inability to control or stop drinking

Alcohol is a drug, and drinking beer every day can take a toll on your health in the short and long term. While light to moderate consumption may have some health benefits, heavy drinking can lead to negative health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric diseases, and an increased risk of chronic diseases and certain types of cancer. Excessive drinking can also cause intestinal inflammation and issues within the gastrointestinal tract and the liver.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common medical condition characterised by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use, despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe, and is considered a brain disorder. Lasting changes in the brain caused by alcohol misuse perpetuate AUD and make individuals vulnerable to relapse.

People with AUD drink to excess, endangering themselves and others. They have lost reliable control of their alcohol use and are often unable to stop drinking once they start. AUD is characterised by tolerance (the need to drink more to achieve the same "high") and withdrawal symptoms if drinking is suddenly stopped. Withdrawal symptoms may include nausea, sweating, restlessness, irritability, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions.

AUD can affect an individual's mood and behaviour, including craving beverages containing alcohol, drinking more than intended, spending a lot of time recovering from hangovers, repeatedly trying to reduce alcohol intake, and giving up important activities because of alcohol.

Treatment

AUD treatment includes medication and behavioural therapy. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved naltrexone, acamprosate, topiramate, and gabapentin to reduce cravings and prevent a return to drinking. Behavioural treatments, such as counselling and talk therapy, aim to change drinking behaviour and develop coping skills. Mutual-support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, provide peer support for stopping or reducing drinking.

Short and Long-term Effects: health, personal, and professional

Short and Long-Term Effects: Health

Drinking beer daily can have both short and long-term health effects. The immediate effects of drinking beer include disrupted sleep, slowed reflexes, impaired balance, memory, and weight loss. Long-term effects include an increased risk of chronic diseases, certain types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and early death.

Personal

Daily beer consumption can also have personal effects. For example, drinking beer can affect your mental health and increase your risk of developing alcohol use disorder. It can also negatively impact your relationships and work performance.

Professional

Drinking beer daily can also impact your professional life. For instance, drinking beer can affect your work performance and career prospects. It can also impact your finances, as buying beer regularly can be expensive.

Frequently asked questions