Alcohol is generally made up of the same compounds, so beer and hard liquor both pose similar risks to a person's health. The only catch is that hard liquor comes with a higher threat because it contains a higher alcohol content than beer.
there is insufficient evidence to conclude that more costly alcoholic beverages are somehow physically less harmful.” Some may even be better for you than an expensive alcohol that rides on marketing rather than quality and is packed with congeners.
Alcohol isn't a healthy choice in general, but some alcohol is better for you than others. Red wine, whiskey, tequila, and hard kombucha are healthier options than beer and sugary drinks. The CDC recommends you limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day if you're male and 1 if you're female.
Organs known to be damaged by long-term alcohol misuse include the brain and nervous system, heart, liver and pancreas. Heavy drinking can also increase your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, both of which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.
But apparently there's one kind of beer that's a little less toxic than every other kind of alcohol. According to a new study published in Oxford's Alcohol and Alcoholism journal, scientists discovered that hoppy beer is significantly less harmful to the liver than liquor and even beer without hops.
So, now on to the all-important question, which alcohol is easiest on the liver? The quick answer is, none of them. The reason is that the main liver-damaging ingredient in all types of alcohol is ethanol. It doesn't matter which alcohol you chose, be it weak beer or grain alcohol.
There is no safe amount of alcohol for people with any type of alcoholic liver disease. Is one kind of alcohol safer than another? No. The amount of alcohol you drink is important, not the kind of alcohol you drink.
To reduce the risk of alcohol-related harms, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed.
Liver: Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, or fatty liver.
Red wine is widely recognized as one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks out there. Poon notes that it's "relatively low in calories and also offers some health benefits."9 She adds that red wine is rich in antioxidants such as resveratrol and proanthocyanidins and can promote cardiovascular health.
Vodka doesn't contain a significant amount of minerals or nutrients. Vodka has no sugar and fewer calories than some other liquors. If you already consume alcohol, vodka may be a slightly healthier option.
Alcohol is generally made up of the same compounds, so beer and hard liquor both pose similar risks to a person's health. The only catch is that hard liquor comes with a higher threat because it contains a higher alcohol content than beer.
There are exceptions, but that means it contains fewer congeners, she says. “Many specialists agree that cheaper alcohol brands often use less effective filtering, allowing more of those troubling byproducts into the alcoholic beverage, thus increasing the risk of those unwanted hangovers,” says Veach.
Lower-quality alcohols can indeed produce harsher hangovers as they are more likely to contain congeners and other impurities. Highly-distilled alcohols tend to have fewer congeners and so might produce fewer hangover effects.
The amount of congeners present in alcohol can vary. As a general rule, the more distilled a spirit is, the lower the congeners. This is why some people may find that “top shelf” liquors that are highly distilled don't give them a hangover as much as a lower-priced alternative.
To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day. The less you drink, the lower your risk of harm from alcohol.
What do you mean by heavy drinking? For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
Drinking a bottle of wine per day is not considered healthy by most standards. However, when does it morph from a regular, innocent occurrence into alcohol use disorder (AUD) or alcoholism? First, it's important to note that building tolerance in order to drink an entire bottle of wine is a definitive red flag.
Alcohols bind with other atoms to create secondary alcohols. These secondary alcohols are the three types of alcohol that humans use every day: methanol, isopropanol, and ethanol.
When you drink, the dehydrating (or 'diuretic') effect of alcohol means your skin loses fluid and nutrients that are vital for healthy-looking skin. This can make your skin look wrinkled, dull and grey, or bloated and puffy. Dehydrated skin may also be more prone to some types of eczema.
Gin has less sugar and fewer calories than some other liquors. If you already consume alcohol, gin may be a slightly healthier option. Be careful with mixers, however. They can make the sugar content of your drink skyrocket.
Liver Health
A 2015 study on nearly 56,000 participants found that wine consumption was linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis than consumption of beer or spirits.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Eat a well-balanced diet every day. That's five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, along with fiber from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Be sure to include protein for the enzymes that help your body detox naturally.