A post from The Hill in January of this year claims that Americans drink 2.3 gallons of alcohol a year. That’s almost 8 liters of alcohol per person per year. And that’s if everyone was drinking, and not everyone does.
So here’s the question, how much alcohol is it actually healthy to drink?
The dietary guidelines listed by the CDC state up to one drink a day for women, and up to two drinks a day for men. Now obviously we can’t speak for everyone, but there are a lot of people who, when indulging in an alcoholic beverage, tend to indulge in amounts far above those.
Now of course, there are potential health benefits to drinking alcohol, such as potential lowering of the risk of diabetes and heart disease; the thing is though, that eating well and exercising well have a far greater potential of improving those same two areas.
And that’s without us even covering potential health risks that come with overconsumption of alcohol. Binge drinking, according to the CDC is anything over 3 drinks on one occasion for women and anything over 4 for men. Risks of overconsumption include heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, and digestive issues.
Aside from health issues, alcohol can also be a source of hidden calories; a 5 oz glass of wine contains about 123 calories, a pint of beer contains about 208 calories, and an 8.3 oz Long Island iced tea can contain up to 276 calories.
So what should you do about alcohol? The truth is, that’s up to you. But here’s our advice, if you do drink, try and keep it to a minimum, and make sure to watch out for hidden sugar.
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