Your ThriveLife and Alcohol

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Hey Brothers!

Welcome to LenDentonThrive Letter #61!

Your ThriveLife and Alcohol

The mission of the LenDentonThrive Letter is to provide you with practical, science-backed information and strategies that help you lose weight, get fit and stay fit… all in a smarter, not harder way. 

In this week’s edition of the Letter, the topic is a potentially sensitive one - alcohol consumption. And, it’s my goal to present you with some facts to help you make wise decisions about your health and fitness…without judgement. 

Let’s get into it!

Alcohol consumption has been a big part of American life for a very long time. Many of us have grown up enjoying beer, wine and spirits as a normal part of our social lives. 

Over the years, the medical community has urged us to drink responsibly and moderately.  However, those views have changed significantly since I started my ThriveLife 10 years ago. And, I’ve changed as well, as I’ll share with you later in the Letter. 

There are mountains of research on the pros and cons of alcohol consumption. But, in today’s Letter, I’ll share three points that changed my ThriveLife with regard to alcohol.

#1 - Alcohol and Fat Storage

As a reader of this newsletter, you’re probably interested in ways to build and sustain a healthy lifestyle. So, you should know that alcohol consumed at any level has a negative effect on your metabolism, and therefore can affect your weight loss and fitness efforts. 

Alcohol interferes with the body's fat metabolism. When alcohol is consumed, the body prioritizes metabolizing it over other nutrients, including fats. This leads to a temporary suppression of fat oxidation, causing the body to store more fat, especially around the abdomen and internal organs. Over time, significant alcohol consumption can lead to an increase in belly fat, also known as visceral fat. Visceral fat is the dangerous fat that forms around our internal organs that is linked to inflammation, disease and cancer.

We can reduce the negative impacts of alcohol on fat oxidation through occasional or moderate alcohol consumption. 

#2 - Alcohol and Sleep Disruption

Most of us Over-50 Guys are not getting the nightly 7-9 hours of quality sleep recommended by experts. This means we’re probably operating in a “sleep-deprived state.” (Sleep improvement is my current #1 health goal for 2024.) 

Alcohol consumption can have varying levels of negative impacts on sleep quality. According to the Sleep Foundation, alcohol consumption has been shown to disrupt sleep quality in the following ways:

• Suppresses REM sleep 

• Increase night-time waking

• Because alcohol is a diuretic, it can increase night-time urination

• Aggravate snoring and sleep apnea

As you can see in the chart in Figure 1 below, even small amounts of alcohol consumed before bed-time can negatively affect your sleep.

One of the best ways to prevent alcohol from impacting your sleep quality is to avoid consuming alcohol at least 3 hours before bed time, and limiting your overall consumption.

#3 - Alcohol And Cancer

In recent years, a number of leading health organizations have come out with strong warnings about the links between alcohol consumption and various forms of cancer.

An article written by the National Cancer Institute, a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, states the following:

“There is a strong scientific consensus that alcohol drinking can cause several types of cancer (1, 2). In its Report on Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists consumption of alcoholic beverages as a known human carcinogen, responsible for a number of different types of cancer in men and women.”

The article included the infographic shown in Figure 2 below:

The World Health Organization (WHO) also considers alcohol to be a Type-1 carcinogen , stating that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”

Alcohol and My ThriveLife

As I noted in the intro, our growing knowledge of alcohol and its impacts on health and fitness have changed my views on its role in my everyday life. 

When I began my ThriveLife in 2014, my doctor suggested that a daily glass of red wine would be a good thing for my high cholesterol. At the time, the general belief was that the resveratrol, an anti-oxidant compound found in red grapes, was a healthy way to combat heart disease.

Based on this belief, I incorporated a glass of Merlot into my nightly routine for many years. This moderate level of consumption didn’t noticeably affect my weight loss efforts, so it seemed like an enjoyable and healthy practice. 

However, as new data emerged to show the potential negative side effects of alcohol, I changed my mind.

I decided that the negatives (especially the cancer risks) outweighed the positive aspects of resveratrol. As a result, I stopped drinking wine and any other alcohol on a daily basis. 

So, what am I doing now?

I treat alcohol as an occassional social extravagance. I now enjoy a beer or a glass of wine when attending celebrations or dinners with friends. And, I’m mindful to avoid over-indulging whenever possible. 

So, how should you handle alcohol in your ThriveLife? 

It’s up to you. Your ThriveLife is as unique as you are. Just be aware of the risks, and decide accordingly. 

Here’s to your ThriveLife.

Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks for reading this week.

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