While sweet drinks might taste good, they're more likely to upset your stomach if you have a history of digestive problems. Your fruity rum cocktail, dessert wine, and hard cider all contain sugars that can upset the digestive system, according to registered dietitian Stephanie Clairmont.
According to the pH level, gin, tequila, and non-grain vodkas are the lowest acidity options; choosing drinks made with these alcohols will be best on your stomach.
Red wine and the gut microbiome
Spector that involved volunteers in the U.S. and Belgium found that participants who drank red wine had a wider and healthier range of gut bacteria than those who didn't. No other alcohol had any clear benefits.
Traditionally, the digestif includes brandy, fortified wine, and certain liqueurs. Bitters and herbal liqueurs can aid post-meal digestion, but these drinks can be good for a sensitive stomach in their own right.
Red wine in particular, which contains more polyphenols than other types of wine, is correlated with a greater microbiome boost. How so? Red wine consumption is correlated with greater alpha diversity in the gut microbiome.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Avoid foods that can irritate the stomach, such as spicy, acidic or fried foods. Avoid or cut down on alcohol to below the UK low risk drinking guidelines.
Foods that are rich in fibre like vegetables, fruits, oats and pulses are beneficial. Adding in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and pickles will also help to promote a healthy gut microbiome."
"Clear liquors like vodka, tequila, and gin are lowest in sugar and calories and are easiest for our bodies to metabolize," Kober says.
Which Alcohol Is the Least Inflammatory? If you're generally healthy, a small amount of alcohol every day probably won't lead to inflammation, reassures Jandes. “Dry red wine seems to have the least amount of negative health effects due to its higher polyphenol content and beneficial bacteria,” she says.
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 can disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut microbiome. Leaky gut, as I previously discussed, can lead to inflammation if it persists. That means alcohol can disrupt your gut microbiome indirectly through leaky gut and directly by throwing off the balance of bacteria.
Red wine has a compound in it called resveratrol, which has well-established anti-inflammatory effects. Some studies show wine consumption is associated with a reduced risk of knee OA, and moderate drinking is also associated with a reduced risk of RA.
Whiskey is a Digestion Aid
Drinking whiskey after a large, delicious meal (at State Fare?) can help ease an upset stomach. The high proof whiskey stimulates the stomach's enzymes, which help to break down food. This benefit makes whiskey an excellent part of your next happy hour.
Bone broth has a long history of being used as a digestive tonic to soothe inflammation. Two of its main components, gelatin and glutamine, are great for the gut. Gelatin can help heal inflammation and intestinal lining in the digestive system while glutamine, an amino acid, has been shown to aid in leaky gut.
Even a little bit of alcohol can upset your stomach if you have a sensitive gut. To minimize digestive discomfort, avoid drinks with a lot of sugar, bubbles, or yeast. Drinking certain distilled liquors on the rocks is your best bet.
"Alcohol is the worst drink for your liver as it makes it harder on the liver to break down and remove toxins from the body," says Minerva Valencia, RD. "Alcohol is known to cause damage to this vital organ, but a wide variety of alcoholic drinks can also pose health risks," says Janet Coleman, RD at TheConsumerMag.
Keep your alcohol consumption down to 2 glasses per event. This way, you'll prevent liver damage while still enjoying yourself. Have a Glass of Water Every Hour: Drinking clean, pure water not just helps replace lost fluids from urination, but also reduces alcohol concentration in the blood.
It is estimated that alcohol-related fatty liver disease develops in 90% of people who drink more than 40g of alcohol (or four units) per day. That's roughly the equivalent of two medium (175ml) glasses of 12% ABV wine, or less than two pints of regular strength (4% ABV) beer.
After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.
An anti-inflammatory diet, regular exercise, good quality sleep, and probiotics are all strategies to put in place before trying antimicrobials or antibiotics to get rid of bad bacteria.
Bloating and abdominal discomfort are often the result of alcohol-induced gastritis. It remains after you quit drinking because it is the result of ingesting alcohol over time. Since the condition occurred over time, it is unlikely to disappear overnight.