I think I’m going to just cut out drinking. I might still have the occasional sip if someone else has a particularly interesting drink but I’m not going to have one of my own. Other than overdoing it in my first year of university I wouldn’t say I ever relied on it, nor do I drink much at all now (maybe 1-3 drinks every two months max).
The reason why is that I feel like I only ever order a drink because it’s what I’m supposed to. I don’t enjoy the taste (so there isn’t a point in having just one drink) and I don’t really like being tipsy and I particularly hate the after effects (I tend to swell a little). I guess if I’m going to question my food habits that I see as normal when they don’t really serve me, alcohol should be included.
This is definitely partially because of the new guidelines concerning alcohol consumption for the US, which is to “consume less alcohol for better overall health.” I have seen criticism [link] of the removal of information on the previous upper limits (2 per day for men and 1 per day for women) and the health risks posed by chronic drinking, that this is the effect of lobbying from the alcohol industry. I do agree but I think a useful interpretation of the guidelines is to limit as much as possible and to ideally cut it out [link].
I think this is the paper that is currently being discussed linking even casual consumption (within the previous limits) to be correlated with an increased risk for dementia, definitely stronger at chronic consumption and at the very least it goes against the idea that alcohol is at all protective.
The correlation is supported by research into the mechanisms for the increased risk (though again this may more strongly apply to chronic consumption*):
Alcohol promotes inflammation - an increase in free radicals leads to oxidative stress (which fuels further inflammation) causing cell damage and accelerated aging, promoting neuronal death [link]
Accumulation of beta amyloid - a toxic protein that is the main component of the plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s [link]
Disrupts neurotransmitters that are critical for memory and learning
Inhibits REM sleep and sleep disorders have been associated with cognitive decline and dementia [link]
Increased risk of strokes with chronic drinking - well, a general decrease in cardiovascular health which includes a risk for strokes which can lead to cognitive decline [link]
Regardless of how these mechanisms relate to the little casual drinking I do, I have my reason for not letting it linger in my diet.
