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Alcohol does have a beneficial effect on the body after all
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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With the winter holidays approaching, each of us is planning a lot of feasts in the near future: visits to relatives, meetings with old friends. Of course, it won’t be without alcoholic beverages. On the eve of the holidays, the media usually trumpet about the dangers of alcohol and urge people to abstain from drinking. For many, the good news is that, according to the results of research conducted in 2012, American scientists have determined that moderate alcohol consumption has a rather positive effect on the human body.
One of the reasons to consider the influence of alcohol as favorable and even useful are the results of tests conducted at the University of Illinois. Employees of the educational institution conducted IQ testing among representatives of the local population. After analyzing the results, it was easy to determine that people who drank light alcohol (0.5 - 1 liter of light beer) on the day of testing had a greater number of correct answers. In this case, the influence of alcohol is obvious: people who drank beer thought much faster.
Healthy eating advocates and nutritionists usually do not recommend drinking alcohol to people who are struggling to lose weight, citing the fact that alcohol slows down metabolism and has an undesirable effect on weight loss efforts. In fact, ladies who care about a slim figure can breathe a sigh of relief and not limit themselves during the holidays. Research has shown that semi-dry red wine combined with light snacks promotes rapid calorie expenditure. Another positive effect of alcohol is that women who drink one or two glasses of red or pink wine a day are less likely to gain extra pounds than principled teetotalers.
Scientists have also noted that alcohol can prevent the occurrence of some infectious diseases or complications after ARVI. Substances that beer hops contain, for example, will stop pneumonia or sore throat. If you like sunbathing, then drinking alcohol will also be somewhat useful: people who drink wine are less likely to get sunburned and suffer from ultraviolet rays.
Alcohol also has a positive effect on life expectancy. People who drink a small amount of natural alcoholic beverages daily throughout their lives can often boast of heroic health. It is not for nothing that the French give their children diluted grape wine from the cradle.
But don't relax: despite all the benefits of alcoholic beverages, you need to know when to stop. If you drink a glass of wine with dinner, the effect of alcohol will be more than beneficial, but if you notice an unhealthy passion for alcohol, you should slow down. Excessive alcohol consumption has a destructive and irreversible effect, affecting the nervous system, internal organs and disrupting the thought processes in the body. Pay attention to the composition of the drink you drink: grape or apple wine is a natural product rich in nutrients, while sweet liqueurs are a cocktail of dyes, preservatives and ethyl alcohol. If you like beer, opt for live varieties that have a shelf life of several days. If you prefer strong drinks, choose herbal tinctures that promote good digestion during a feast.
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