Can I drink alcohol if I am trying to gain weight?

What are the impacts of alcohol on the body?

Can I just have gin and tonic?

Or what about have a glass of wine over the weekend?

It is very common for clients to negotiate with me every single time trying to include alcohol into their meal plan.

Alcohol’s impact on your body starts from the moment you take your first sip. Additionally, the collective effects of drinking wine, beer, or other spirits can ultimately take its toll on your body.

What does science say?

Let’s discuss three studies that show the effect of alcohol consumption on your body which are not weight-related.

The first study was conducted in 2011 called “Moderate alcohol consumption during adult life, drinking patterns, and breast cancer risk”. Higher consumption of alcohol has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. In this one study, it was also concluded that even low levels of alcohol consumption were associated with a small increase in breast cancer risk.

Just half a drink of alcohol per day has been associated with a higher risk of cancer.

The second study was conducted in 2019 among 500,000 men and women in China to assess the relationship between alcohol intake and cardiovascular risk. It tried to show that just one drink per day has been associated with a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks.

It was also interpreted that alcohol consumption uniformly increases blood pressure and stroke risk.

The third study also conducted in 2019 shows the effects of alcohol on sleep. Your body processes alcohol throughout the night. Hence, even if you doze off, you don’t get any good REM sleep that your body needs to feel restored. Alcohol consumption has been strongly associated with sleep disorders.

Wellness tip of the day

Therefore, no matter what your health goals are, say no to alcohol. This is the ideal step to stay away from even the smallest risks of chronic diseases from alcohol.

So the next time you have a social gathering, try club soda with lemon and salt. But, if you have a weakness for alcohol, try non-alcoholic beers and wines! You get all the taste minus the alcohol.

Trust this helps,

Roshni Sanghvi.