Alcohol is synonymous with celebrations: making toasts at weddings, saying cheers to a coworker’s promotion, and pouring oneself a glass of wine or beer to cap off a long week.
The debate, though, doesn’t end there. The
Lancet study took into account large swaths of populations from around the globe, so the conclusions are general and don’t highlight some subgroups who do appear to benefit from a small amount of alcohol, says
David Katz, MD, MPH, the founder of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in New Haven, Connecticut. For example,
a study published in March 2017 in BMJ shows moderate alcohol consumption can indeed correlate with health perks such as better heart health.
Another study, in February 2016 in Nutrition, found that alcohol may offer beneficial antioxidants, like the resveratrol found in red wine.
On top of that, moderate drinking is a part of the healthy
Mediterranean diet, which only complicates the controversy, especially as Spain, a Mediterranean country, is expected to take the top spot as the country with the longest life expectancy by 2040,
a study published in October 2018 in The Lancetshows; meanwhile, Italy, a country whose residents are known for their love of wine, took the sixth spot.
“For people who enjoy alcohol and don't have a family history of cancer or liver issues, it’s fine to carry on with
the CDC-recommended one drink per day for women, and two drinks for men,” says
Marisa Moore, RDN, a dietitian based in Atlanta. At the same time, if you are not a drinker, she says you certainly don’t need to start. “There are many ways to improve your heart health, like eating nutritious food and
exercising. You don’t have to rely on alcohol for better heart numbers,” Moore says.
Another issue: Some people have a hard time sticking to one serving of alcohol, which is a 5-ounce (oz) glass of wine, a 12-oz beer or a 1.5-oz pour of liquor. (3) Go over that limit in a sitting, and you could miss out on any benefits, not to mention jeopardize your health, says Moore.
“Pay attention to the size of your glass — it’s easy to overpour with the large, balloon-shaped wineglasses,” says Moore. She also recommends keeping water next to your wine or beer glass, and alternating sips so that you pace yourself.
Still, if you’re interested in going cold turkey and quitting alcohol entirely, you may have the right idea, especially if you were drinking above a moderate level. “You’ll take in less sugar, fewer carbs, and fewer calories, and may even reverse liver damage [if present],” says
Kaleigh McMordie, RDN, the founder of LivelyTable.com, based in Lubbock, Texas. McMordie says that many people who have alcohol issues tend to have deficiencies in
vitamins B1 and B2, as well as
vitamin A,
vitamin C, and folate (to name a few) because they’re not taking in as many nutrients — noting that alcohol can blunt your appetite and
impair nutrient absorption. Thus, says McMordie, forgoing alcohol may help heavy drinkers get more of the nutrients they need.
What’s more, alcohol disrupts
sleep, according to
a study published January 2015 in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. “You might want to consider quitting if you’re having trouble nodding off,” says Moore. “It’s a vicious cycle — drinking at night can lead to poor sleep, which may make you irritable, and that can lead you to make poor food choices, not to mention give you an urge to drink more alcohol to cope with
stress, which thus affects your sleep again.”
As celebrities are always ahead of the curve, it comes as no surprise that a fair number of stars have opted out of imbibing. Some famous faces have never even had beer, wine, or liquor, while others have decided to give up booze later in life. Here, 15 celebrities who have ditched alcohol, and why they decided to make the bold move.
