We have all heard of the many negative health effects of alcohol consumption: permanent liver damage, the death of neurons, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, the whole enchilada. On the other hand, we’re students, so we will not let it stand in the way of having a great night. However, what if I were to tell you that your drinking habits are not as bad as they may seem? This article will dive into the surprising benefits of alcohol consumption.
Beginning with something simple: alcohol is a great way to lighten the mood, leading to fun social experiences and momentary happiness. These contribute to long term well-being in multiple ways. First of all, they potentially help you form lasting friendships, a key ingredient to a healthy, happy life. Second of all, they flood your brain with ‘feel good chemicals’ that have a plethora of both health and social benefits, such as boosting your immune system, improving long term sleep, reducing stress levels, and even increasing your ability to empathize with others. This last effect may, again, snowball into genuine connections with other people, once more enriching your life with friends that add to your well-being.
Another benefit alcohol can provide is an overall increase to longevity with controlled alcohol consumption. Some may argue the “controlled” aspect is relatively unfortunate. A number of studies have shown that the risk of death by all causes are the lowest at an average alcohol consumption of 1-2 standard drinks per day. Besides this, other studies have also shown moderate alcohol consumption actually increases cardiovascular health by reducing the risk of heart attacks and ischemic strokes, thinning the blood, and increasing HDL levels.
The next benefit is sadly only applicable to a select group of the population, which mainly consists of East-Asians. A large proportion of East-Asians carry a variant of the gene coding for alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, that is much more efficient at breaking down alcohol into a chemical named acetaldehyde than the regular variant. As acetaldehyde accumulates rapidly in individuals carrying this gene variant, it becomes visible as acetaldehyde has the effect of causing your face to turn red - often dubbed the ‘Asian glow’. While it may often be accompanied by nausea, headache, and other hangover symptoms, you can at least claim you’re glowing.
To end, as I mentioned briefly in the introduction, alcohol destroys neurons. This is often posed as a negative effect, but is it really? As the saying goes: ignorance is bliss. With the current state of the world, that may just be true now more than ever. Therefore I say, a little alcohol may not be so bad after all. Its detrimental function on our brain may even help us delude ourselves into thinking the health benefits provided in this article somehow outweigh the numerous ill effects alcohol has on our health.