“Summertime, and the living is easy”. It wasn’t Ella Fitzgerald’s next line, but she could have sung “the drinks flow more freely” and been right on target. Historically, alcohol consumption rises around holidays and summer months. Recent circumstances have generated 26.5% growth of in-store alcohol sales between mid-March and mid-May as compared to this same time a year ago, according to the Nielsen marketing research firm. With restaurants and bars mostly closed across the country, one could argue that the point-of-sale has just shifted. However, this is not enough to account for the total increase. The summer months are upon us, layered with the public health crisis and alcohol consumption is up. So let's take a look at how alcohol impacts nutrition.
Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram, which is more than carbs and protein and slightly less than fats. Alcohol has a unique metabolic pathway and the body handles it similarly to excess sugar. A serving of alcohol is considered 12oz 5% alcohol beer, 8oz malt liquor, 5oz wine, or 1.5oz of spirits (vodka, whiskey, etc). If a beer has a higher % alcohol by volume than it counts as more than 1 serving. If a glass of wine is larger than 5oz, it counts as more than 1 serving. So alcohol alone has empty calories. We run into greater trouble when alcohol is mixed with other liquids to form a drink. An orange crush has 372 Calories, a strawberry daiquiri has 336 Calories, and a margarita ranges from 250-500 Calories per drink! Possibly even more impactful than that is alcohol’s effect on our inhibitions and the increased likelihood of consuming high calorie foods and a greater volume of food. 1 drink and a few careless calories and you’ve easily tacked 500-1,000 Calories onto your daily total -and ultimately your waistline.
It is relatively plain to see where this leads as a pattern of eating and drinking. It is important to note where this leads in terms of long term health. Frequent consumption of alcohol is associated with higher rates of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. (CDC.gov/alcohol) A higher intake of alcohol is associated with several different types of cancer as well, namely breast, colon, liver, mouth, throat, and esophagus. (Cancer.org) Persistent excessive alcohol intake leads to decreased nutrient absorption, malnutrition, and cirrhosis of the liver.
The general recommendations for moderate alcohol consumption are no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men. You can’t sandbag those totals either by avoiding alcohol during the week and having 5 or 6 drinks on Saturday night. That defines binge drinking and poses serious health risks long term.
It is best to enjoy alcohol in true moderation and to choose your beverage wisely!
For more information on how much is too much or how alcohol contributes to cancer risk, read here:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20369243
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet