Myth 3: Drinking hard liquor is worse than drinking beer or wine. Contrary to popular belief, the type of alcohol you drink doesn't make a difference – what matters is how much you drink. "The safe limit is fixed at 14 units a week," explains Dr Lui. "Below this limit, alcoholic fatty liver is less likely to occur.
Alcohol is generally made up of the same compounds, so beer and hard liquor both pose similar risks to a person's health. The only catch is that hard liquor comes with a higher threat because it contains a higher alcohol content than beer.
Vodka Is Good For The Heart, Beer, Not So Much
Cutting calories is not only what vodka is good for. If you are worried about heart health, vodka is a safer and healthier choice.
Myth 3: Drinking hard liquor is worse than drinking beer or wine. Contrary to popular belief, the type of alcohol you drink doesn't make a difference – what matters is how much you drink. "The safe limit is fixed at 14 units a week," explains Dr Lui. "Below this limit, alcoholic fatty liver is less likely to occur.
Women with a healthy liver should not drink more than 1 alcoholic beverage a day (or 7 drinks in 1 week). Men with a healthy liver should not drink more than 2 drinks a day (or 14 drinks in 1 week).
Vodka doesn't contain a significant amount of minerals or nutrients. Vodka has no sugar and fewer calories than some other liquors. If you already consume alcohol, vodka may be a slightly healthier option.
Drinking vodka every day can be harmful to your health.
If you drink alcohol every day, health experts recommend you do not drink more than 0.6 ounces (for women) or 1.2 ounces (for men) of pure alcohol. Due to vodka's high alcohol content, this comes out to 1 or 2 shots of vodka per day.
So, now on to the all-important question, which alcohol is easiest on the liver? The quick answer is, none of them. The reason is that the main liver-damaging ingredient in all types of alcohol is ethanol. It doesn't matter which alcohol you chose, be it weak beer or grain alcohol.
Experts consider one drink of alcohol to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounce of hard liquor. Consuming an occasional glass or 2 of an alcoholic beverage usually won't cause harmful effects to individuals with full kidney function.
If you stop drinking alcohol for 2 weeks, your liver should return to normal.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Eat a well-balanced diet every day. That's five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, along with fiber from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Be sure to include protein for the enzymes that help your body detox naturally.
Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red.
Any type of alcohol can play a role in the formation of a beer belly, according to MayoClinic.com. Straight shots of hard liquor, such as vodka, rum, tequila and whiskey contain about 64 calories per ounce, so it'll take longer for the calories to cause a beer belly, but it is possible.
Alcohol can cause weight gain in four ways: it stops your body from burning fat, it's high in kilojoules, it can make you feel hungry, and it can lead to cravings for salty and greasy foods.
If you want to lose weight, your best options are spirits. Try drinking your choice of vodka, gin, tequila, rum, or whiskey with a low-calorie mixer like a tonic, soda, or straight. Low-calorie beers are also a great choice as more delicious options come to market.
Drinking vodka every day can also affect your blood pressure and heart health. While moderate alcohol consumption may have some health benefits, heavy drinking can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. To maintain good heart health, it's important to limit your daily vodka intake.
It can alleviate symptoms caused by arthritis.
Apparently, patients who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and had semi-regular vodka drinks throughout the month felt less pain and inflammation associated with their disease, according to this study.
Heavy and persistent alcohol use can harm the liver, contributing to low levels of testosterone and increased levels of oestrogen, both of which can contribute to erectile dysfunction. Alcohol can also affect male fertility.
What do you mean by heavy drinking? For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
Anyone who drinks alcohol heavily, even for a few days, will develop a condition in which liver cells are swollen with fat globules and water. This condition is called "fatty liver." It also may result from: Diabetes.
If you are drinking alcohol, ensure you drink plenty of water too—just alternate drinks. This will allow your liver to better process the alcohol and reduce damage.