This seems potentially relevant to most of us here, because while I’ve lowered my alcohol consumption a great deal I will still enjoy a drink once in a while:
Is There a Least Bad Alcohol?
We all know about the health risks of drinking. But if you’re going to partake, it’s natural to want to minimize the damage.
Why Alcohol Is So Harmful
When you have a drink, your body turns the ethanol that’s present in the alcoholic beverage into a “really nasty substance” called acetaldehyde, which can damage your DNA, said Timothy Stockwell, an alcohol researcher at the University of Victoria in Canada.
Many tissues in the body, including those in the mouth, throat, liver, colon and breasts, are susceptible to this harm. And when that DNA gets repaired, cancerous mutations may arise.
The more ethanol in your drink, the more harmful it is, Dr. Keyes said. One way to assess this is to look at a drink’s alcohol by volume, or A.B.V., which manufacturers must list on product labels. If you’re choosing between two beers of the same size, for instance, and one is 4 percent A.B.V. and the other is 8 percent, the 4 percent beer will expose you to half as much ethanol.
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And while there’s no evidence that darker liquors are more harmful to health than clear ones, there is limited research suggesting that some darker liquors can cause more severe hangovers, said Damaris Rohsenow, a professor at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. Darker alcohols (like bourbon, rum and brandy) tend to have higher levels of congeners, substances that are created during the fermentation process and contribute to a drink’s flavor, aroma and color. More congeners typically translates to worse hangovers, Dr. Rohsenow said.
There can be exceptions to the “clear is better” rule, however, Dr. Rohsenow added. Some tequilas, which can be clear or light-colored, for instance, can be high in congeners and may lead to worse hangovers.
História completa: Is There a Least Bad Alcohol?
