It’s the burning question that leaves many of us sipping our post-work Pinot Noir or pub pint with a twinge of guilt: how bad for you is alcohol?
With conflicting studies and government advice running through our minds, the subject can often feel a haze of contradictions. as scientists and the authorities grapple with conclusions varying from stern warnings of no safe alcohol levels to the potential benefits of moderate consumption.
Wading into the debate, Professor Tim Spector offered insights on a Zoe podcast episode titled “Can alcohol ever be healthy?” His takeaway is unequivocal on one level: alcohol in itself can never be good for you.
But the full picture is more nuanced and certain drinks might have healthful qualities, especially those containing more polyphenols. Found in plants, these chemical compounds strengthen our defences against diseases and inflammation and boost beneficial gut bacteria, reports Surrey Live.
At the top of the list are red wine and some “artisan” ciders. Prof Spector said: “I used to say red wine beats everything but, actually, I’ve found some artisan ciders… and these have actually high polyphenol levels. Then you drop down to things like rosé wine, white wine, and champagne, proseccos etc.
“And about that level, you’ve got lager beers and you’ve got slightly more from traditional, warm, British ales and some Belgian beers also contain polyphenols and some yeasts and are believed to have some beneficial properties, at least according to the Belgians, that is, but not everyone believes them.
“That’s pretty much it, there’s not much else really, that has much [for] microbes to munch on… Then it becomes more complicated… you start talking about sugars and other things… Most people don’t realise how much fewer polyphenols are in white wine compared to red wine. You’ve got to drink three times as much white wine as red wine to get the same benefits. So is not generally recommended.”
He also said anything that’s distilled (ie spirits) has very little that is good for your gut as it will have been removed in the process.
He also revealed how you can tell if a drink is high in polyphenols from how it feels in the mouth: “It gives you that funny taste or that sort of astringency on the tongue. And that astringency, the way it sort of dries out your tongue, is a sign that the tannins are in there and the more tannins that are their classic polyphenols.”
Dr Sarah Berry, the lead scientist at Zoe, has highlighted the importance of weighing up the “benefit of the polyphenols that are in the drink versus the unfavorable effects of the alcohol”. She elaborated: “We know that as soon as you go above maybe one or two drinks a day in terms of the alcohol content, we know that it has unfavorable effects on lots of mechanisms, such as oxidative, stress and inflammation… When you’re at that level of about one or two units, say one or two drinks a day, then you’re balancing out any of the negative effects of alcohol with the positive effects of some of these bioactives.”
