There’s no way around it: Alcohol isn’t that good for us. Numerous scientific studies have shown how even moderate alcohol consumption negatively impacts the body, upping the risk for liver damage , heart attacks, stroke and osteoporosis .
You probably aren’t surprised to hear about these connections. At the same time, many people like to enjoy an alcoholic beverage (or a few) with a meal, when socializing or to unwind at the end of the day. If you’re trying to figure out how to enjoy an alcoholic beverage while doing minimal damage to your body, you may be wondering how your drink choice comes into play. For example, is drinking a cocktail harder on the body than a beer or glass of wine? Here’s what doctors want everyone to know.
Related: A New Study About Wine's Impact on Brain Health May Have You Rethinking Your Daily Glass
Do All Alcoholic Drinks Impact the Liver the Same?
Dr. Anuhya Gampa, MD, a hepatologist with Rush University Medical Center, explains that all alcohol (including beer, wine and liquor) impacts the liver the same way. Dr. Patricia Molina, MD, Ph.D., a professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and the director of the school’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center for Excellence, reiterates this, saying, “There are no differences in the effects of one alcoholic beverage versus the other.”
You may be thinking, wait a second. Surely a glass of red wine isn’t as bad as a margarita! While the margarita may have other unhealthy ingredients (like salt and sugar), both doctors say that the alcohol in both these drinks impacts the liver the same. On top of that, if you enjoy a nightly glass of red wine to benefit your heart, you may want to sip on something else instead. “Research has not demonstrated that red wine has heart health benefits. This is a convenient interpretation of some studies, but the evidence is not solid showing the beneficial effects of alcohol drinking on the heart. Red wine, like all other alcoholic beverages, can negatively impact the liver and is consumed in excessive quantities and with high frequency,” Dr. Molina says.
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Both doctors say that what matters more than the type of alcoholic drink is the amount of alcohol consumed. This is because a small amount of alcohol won’t impact the liver as much as a larger amount will. “The concentrations may differ in each type of drink, but the quantity of alcohol for one drink is the same. For example, one standard drink contains 14 grams of alcohol whether it is one 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine, 2.5 ounces of liqueur, or 1 shot of 1.5-ounce spirit,” Dr. Gampa says.
How To Do the Least Amount of Damage
With this in mind, both doctors say that the best way to do the least amount of damage to your liver (as well as the rest of the body) is to minimize alcohol consumption—if you choose to drink it at all. “No specific alcoholic drink is least harmful to the liver, so no one type of drink is recommended. Ideally, the goal is to limit the amount of alcohol consumed,” Dr. Gampa says.
While drinking alcohol in any amount isn’t healthy, Dr. Molina says that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines low risk drinking for women as no more than three drinks on any single day and no more than seven drinks per week. For men, it is defined as no more than four drinks on any single day and no more than fourteen drinks per week. “The onset, severity and prognosis of alcohol-related problems varies between individuals and depends on several factors including genetic makeup, metabolism, age, gender, ethnicity, environment and lifestyle,” Dr. Molina adds.
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Fortunately, there’s not a better time to curb your alcoholic drinking. No matter what type of alcoholic beverage you enjoy, there’s a zero-proof substitution for it. ( Boisson is one great online retailer to find them.) Virtually every beer brand has also come out with a zero-alcohol beer. That way, if you’re a beer drinker, you can still enjoy a brew without alcohol’s negative health effects.
Similar to how added sugar impacts the body, whether it’s from a cookie or a candy bar, the same is true with alcohol: it’s the amount that matters, not the source. With this in mind, saving it for special occasions—just like you may do with sugary treats—is better than getting into a habit of consuming it every day. Your body will benefit from cutting back, especially your liver!
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