An Occasion to Drink: What You Need to Know About Alcohol

By Martha Michael

It may be a part of your lifestyle to crack open a regular beer at a ballgame or pop some corks over the holidays. Alcoholic beverages are associated with occasions from Oktoberfest to New Year’s Eve, and similar to diet, everyone has the right to consider the amount of alcohol they consume. It can be difficult to tamp down on the celebrating when every billboard, bus stop, and TV ad reminds you what a good time you can have if you include beer, wine, and spirits.

Is Wine Healthier Than Beer?

It may seem paradoxical to compile a list of the healthiest alcoholic drinks, because adult beverages aren’t typically associated with health and wellness. When choosing from a bar menu or what to put in your grocery cart, there may be differences worth paying attention to.

When compared to wine, beer is healthier in some ways. Though it’s higher in calories, beer has more nutritional value, according to an article by Healthline. It has contents that resemble food including:

• Fiber
• B vitamins
• Protein
• Niacin
• Folate

The presence of hops can benefit you as well. Studies show the hops content increases bone density and inhibits obesity in mice.

A 5-ounce glass of wine has 125 calories. It comes with 4 percent of your daily requirement of potassium and a significant amount of fiber. Red wine contains resveratrol, which is known to reduce the effects of aging, and flavonoids, which minimize the effects of UV rays that damage your skin.

Both wine and beer have upsides, but they can also lead to health problems.

The negative side effects to drinking too much beer include:

• Heartburn
• Dehydration
• Expense
• Liver damage
• Obesity

Too much wine can cause your triglyceride level to rise and raise your risk of:

• Obesity
• Kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Heart disease

Is Red Wine Healthier Than White Wine?

If you like to uncork a bottle of wine, the color you choose may have an effect on your health outcomes. Most people know the research saying red wine is superior to white because the fermentation of white wine removes the grape skin, which has resveratrol that’s known for benefiting your heart.

White wine has positives too, says an article on the website Sonoma Wine Garden. Like red wine, white wine has antioxidants. Citing a study reported in the journal Clinical Nutrition, data shows moderate consumption of aged white wine is responsible for endothelial repair and maintenance in high cardiovascular risk patients.

A study presented by the University of Buffalo shows research linking nutrients in white wine with improved lung function. Antioxidants including flavonoids and phenols had a positive effect on the lung health of subjects.

An article by the Harvard School of Public Health compares the healthful qualities of red versus white wine and reports very little difference. Research shows the benefits of red wine may be overstated.

“There isn’t any conclusive science that says there is a true benefit of red wine over white,” says Eric Rimm, a professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Red wine contains polyphenols, a compound believed to have health benefits for your heart, but Rimm says it’s no more than you get from chocolate or blueberries.

Similar to what you hear in wine tasting rooms and Zagat-rated restaurants, Rimm underscores that the best wine is the one with a flavor you favor.

Celebrating Moderation

Drinking less alcohol -- or none at all -- is a decision an increasing number of Americans are making. Demand has risen for non-alcoholic beverages such as near beer, says an article by Everyday Health. One reason is the “sober curious” movement, says Kerry Benson, RD, coauthor of the book Mocktail Party: 75 Plant-Based Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Every Occasion. People are attuned to the physical and mental health benefits of choosing drinks such as alcohol-free beer over other options.

To be labeled “nonalcoholic beer,” it must contain a maximum of 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. To create beer with low or no alcohol, brewers can keep it from fermenting or burn off the alcohol after fermentation.

An article on WebMD says that an analysis of more than 100 studies was published in the JAMA Network Open debunking previous views that some alcohol consumption improves your health. Looking at studies involving various types of alcoholic beverages, Tim Stockwell, PhD, and his associates at University of Victoria in Canada conclude that drinking is not beneficial to your health. It is not associated with longevity as some researchers have implied.

On the contrary, the risk of death is higher among men and women who drink regularly. Women who consume less than 1 ounce of alcohol daily and men who drink 1.5 ounces per day have increased the risk of illness or death.

Keeping in mind the value of moderation, you can maintain a healthy balance by paying attention to its effects on your wellness. As fall brings you in contact with free beers from friends followed by a holiday season of cocktails and eggnog, be aware of your beverage choices and how much you’re drinking. It may have a bearing on whether you have a happy, healthy new year.

How Much Money Is in the Alcohol Business in America?

Alcohol consumption has been on the rise and research by Statista.com projects a continual upswing in global revenue for the alcohol industry through at least 2027. Currently, more than $283 billion per year is spent on alcohol purchases in the United States, nearly half of which is bought outside the home in bars and restaurants. Current data shows a total of $842.80 per person is spent annually on alcohol in America.

Sales of alcoholic beverages are expected to rise by 5.55 percent per year, with total alcohol consumption reaching more than 34 billion liters in 2027.

Using the Forbes list of the highest grossing public companies of 2022, a website called TheDrinks.com compiled a list of the alcohol companies with the highest earnings. Topping the list was LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton with earnings of $346.8 billion. It makes sense it would hold the number one spot considering it combines profits from a high-end fashion brand as well as luxury drinks such as champagne.

Number two on the list is believed to have the highest market value of any purely alcohol company in the world, with more than $340 billion in profits. Kweichow Moutai is owned, in part, by the Chinese government and has approximately $40 billion in assets. Its signature drink is a colorless spirit called Moutai baijiu, which is so popular it’s used as a flavor for ice cream.

Beer is the biggest seller in the alcoholic beverages department. Anheuser-Busch InBev is a conglomerate grossing $118.5 billion per year. Belgian company AB InBev owns some of the biggest labels including:

• Budweiser
• Modelo
• Stella Artois

In the United States, it seems there’s always a reason to grab a drink. From football games on New Year’s Day to the singing of auld lang syne on New Year’s eve, there are reasons to grab something cold, something bubbly, something for celebration or something to take the edge off. Moderation should be the first rule of any drinking routine. And if you do drink, don’t drive. Although there may be inherent health problems related to drinking, there are real-world consequences that accompany irresponsible consumption of alcohol.

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