Health Benefits Of Alcohol For Non Pregnant Women

A lot more ladies are getting into the trend of alcohol drinking- adults and teenagers alike. But no matter what age, at some point this bad habit must come to a complete halt, particularly during pregnancy in order to avoid Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Certainly, alcohol is one of the most powerful teratogens (a substance that can cause fetal birth defects). In the early years, the affected baby normally manifests with hyperactivity and persistent irritability. This is followed by developmental delay and growth deficiency. Above all, alcohol is one of the most recognizable causes of mental retardation in the United States.

On the other hand, outside pregnancy matters, it is startling to find out that alcohol has been gaining reputation due to its health advantages. Professionals believe that ethanol in alcoholic drinks like wines, beers, and other drinks is the main player in conferring healthful effects to the body. Drinking alcohol has long been acknowledged by researchers to have beneficial effects to one's health. Here is how alcohol can be beneficial:

• An extensive body of medical data has revealed that light to moderate intake of alcohol confers cardiovascular protection by enhancing insulin sensitivity and elevation of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as the good cholesterol). It lessens the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, and dementia. In the INTER-HEART study, involving 27,000 patients from 52 countries, it has found out that men who were already following a healthy lifestyle and consuming light to moderate alcohol had 40-50% reduced risk for heart attack. On the contrary, excessive alcohol consumption or binge drinking are toxic to the heart and over-all wellbeing of the person.

• Some studies have additionally revealed that individuals who consume alcohol in moderation on a daily basis have much less abdominal obesity compared to the non drinkers.

• Light to moderate alcohol intake has anti-inflammatory effects. Most diseases start out with simple inflammation of the organ that has expanded and extended its course. With alcohol having an anti-inflammatory action, a lot of researchers think that it can probably deter progression of diseases.

Simply put, alcohol drinking confers protection, prevents insulin resistance, elevates good cholesterol, lessens abdominal obesity and prevents progression of inflammatory diseases.

Since these health effects are nonselective, non pregnant women who used to drink can take advantage of these health advantages too. However there is one thing that must be emphasized, and that is these health effects of ethanol primarily depend on the volume of alcohol consumed and the pattern of drinking. Alcohol is most cardio-protective if taken on a daily basis, preferably prior to or throughout a meal, and at a light to moderate intake.

By light to moderate consumption, it means you only have to take in up to one drink every day (for women), and 1 to 2 drinks each day (for men). One drink must approximately consist of 13 to 15 g ethanol, that is roughly equivalent to 12 oz beer, 5 oz wine, 1.5 oz 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz 100-proof spirits.

Even with the health advantages that alcohol can give to an individual, alcohol is not universally approved as a health enhancer owing to the lack of randomized outcome data and tools for forecasting susceptibility of an individual to drinking problem. Alcohol drinking is a slippery slope that a lot of individuals (which include ladies) most likely end up as heavy drinkers. Thus, the American Heart Association's latest guideline is not to start drinking alcohol just to take advantage of these health benefits if you are a nondrinker to begin with.


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