By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

Raise your champagne flute, and clink, Cheers! It is the time of year to celebrate, and most likely your holiday festivities will include alcohol. The holidays are the time for gaiety and celebration. So enjoy!

However, once the holidays are over and we are all settling back into our routine, it’s important to remember — when it comes to alcohol, moderation is the key. For men, consuming alcohol in moderation can aid in relaxation and seems to lower heart disease risk without raising other risks. As you read in Jim’s article though, women need to be much more careful and drink no more than 1 drink per day to avoid any health risks.

We aren’t exactly sure why women may be at more risk from alcohol, but it may have something to do with the nutritional demands put on our bodies by childbirth and the nutrient-depleting effects of birth control. You see, in men or women, alcohol depletes several nutrients including vitamins A, B3 (niacin), B1 (thiamine), and folate along with the minerals iron, magnesium, and zinc. Alcohol also affects our processing of essential fatty acids, needed for healthy cellular metabolism.¹

In fact, nutrient depletions are responsible for many of the side effects of drinking in alcoholics. Vitamin B1 deficiency leads to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is characterized by confusion and impaired memory. Magnesium deficiency is one of the causes of tremors seen in alcoholics in need of a drink.

So, saluting too often with too many drinks can have a negative impact on your nutritional status by depleting essential vitamins and minerals. But this is especially true for anyone who may have compromised nutritional status to begin with, like women who are on birth control and may already be deficient in B vitamins including folate, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, CoQ10, and tyrosine, due to the nutrient depleting effects of taking female horomones.²

Because we have so many other factors today that increase our need for nutrients such as chronic stress, nutritionally depleted foods in our food supply, and toxicity of our environment, even moderate drinkers are well advised to eat plenty of nutrient dense, high antioxidant foods like organic vegetables and healthy lean proteins to make sure they are taking in all the nutrients affected by alcohol.

In fact, just to be sure, it’s probably a good idea to take a multivitamin and mineral as well, and this is especially important advice for women who use birth control pills.

References

1. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/drugs-deplete-000711.htm
2. Pelton, R and LaValle, JB, The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs, Morton Publishing, 2006.

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute (formerly part of Living Longer Institute). She offers personal nutritional counseling at LMI for clients who need help with their diet in relation to illness or disease. Laura also provides educational services in the areas of health promotion, wellness, and disease prevention. To learn more, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.