I find it interesting how certain foods have become vilified in today’s society, while others are given a free pass, such as alcohol.
Where to start with the effects of alcohol?
Let’s look at what it does on a micronutrient level.
Alcohol has been shown to significantly increase the loss of vitamin C through the urine. Vitamin C deficiency is commonly noted in alcoholics. Vitamin C is crucial for the health of our cells (all 30 trillion of them), for our immune system, for our sight, our adrenal glands…the list goes on.
Not only does alcohol make you lose nutrients, it also stops you absorbing them in the first place. Alcohol inhibits the absorption and usage of thiamine (Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12, folic acid and zinc. This has a big impact on brain chemicals. It results in poor mood, poor memory, poor sleep, low libido, hair loss and more.
Any alcohol consumption increases your risk for seven different types of cancer [1].
Alcohol also affects the front part of the brain which controls your decision making. This is why people talk about “happy drunks” and “sad drunks” and why people get into more fights when they have drunk alcohol – because it is harder to control emotions and urges. Long term frontal lobe damage can result in inability to problem-solve, impaired judgement and reduced impulse control[2].
My favourite psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Amen, has done huge amounts of research and has scanned thousands of brains over the years[3]. Below, he shows the pictures of a healthy brain and a moderate drinker brain side by side. The more alcohol you drink, the more the brain shrinks and the less blood flows to it.
So why is alcohol advertised and promoted so much?
The UK government makes an estimated £10-12 billion a year from alcohol tax duties[4], while the UK alcohol market overall is estimated to be worth £45 billion[5].
You may be thinking: “What about the beautiful Italians who drink plenty?”
Well, there are many other factors to consider. Mediterraneans only usually drink at mealtimes, which are relaxed and long. Meals can easily take a couple of hours, compared to the American 20 minutes.
Stress levels are low and food is savoured. Furthermore, the true Mediterranean diet is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids – all of which are neuroprotective.
My advice to anyone, would be to instead spend your money and your calories on the best possible food you can find and savour every mouthful of that. If you do have alcohol, embrace it in the Mediterranean style above. If you are using alcohol as a way to self-medicate, there are so many other things you can do that do not have toxic side effects. My first suggestion would be to make sure there are no organic causes contributing to low mood – this is easily done by running a blood panel with your doctor, and there are many things that can be addressed easily. Alongside this, eat the best diet you can, exercise, breathe properly, keep good company, be kind to yourself and do the inner work.
Wishing you all health and happiness,
Dr. Maria
[1] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/diet-physical-activity/alcohol-use-and-cancer.html
[2] https://oasas.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2019/08/The_Brain.pdf
[3] https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/5-scary-ways-alcohol-damages-the-brain/
[4] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f1a39ed915d74e33f4587/HMRC_Alcohol_Strategy.pdf
[5] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/market-trends-uk-alcohol-industry-2023-qwerty-commerce#:~:text=The%20total%20value%20of%20the,almost%2038%25%20of%20total%20revenue.