What When Wine Diet by Melanie Avalon

Author:Melanie Avalon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2017-01-22T05:00:00+00:00

WHAT ABOUT TOXINS?

Excessive alcohol intake can undoubtedly encourage problems, including increased reactive oxygen species, endothelial dysregulation, cirrhosis, and cardiovascular disease, despite alcohol’s heart protection benefits. Some studies also indicate that drinking wine may increase the risk of breast cancer (though these are debated, with a myriad of factors likely involved.) And don’t worry—I’m not gonna make the argument that red wine is good for your liver.

That said, the connection between alcohol consumption and liver disease is less clear than one may imagine. According to a 2011 panel conducted by the U.S. government’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, only a small percent of people who drink heavily develop liver disease, and little clinical evidence has even linked moderate drinking to liver disease.68 Problems arise in part due to classification. Even though liver problems commonly develop from diets high in refined fat and sugar (particularly soft drinks), the simple parameter of whether one does or does not drink is often used to classify the type of liver disease as either alcoholic (ALD) or nonalcoholic (NAFLD). (“Do you drink? Then you have ALD! Do you not drink? Must be NAFLD!”) So many cases of “alcoholic” liver disease may actually be nonalcoholic liver disease primarily resulting from other dietary factors.

Despite the fact that we’ve been consuming alcohol for thousands of years, liver disease is now particularly on the rise. A 2006 study found that 10 percent of children (who presumably aren’t drinking) have NAFLD, even though young people tend to harbor more robust livers. I point this out not to downplay any damaging effects of alcohol, but rather to draw awareness to the importance of overall diet and lifestyle choices. If we establish alcohol as the sole source of liver trouble, we risk ignoring the many other potential burdens on our liver, including obesity, diets rich in processed and refined foods, and toxic environments (such as chemical and mold exposure).

If you minimize dietary and environmental toxic burdens, then moderate alcohol consumption should be fine. On the other hand, if your liver is already burdened with a toxic onslaught, then you probably don’t want to run to wine for health. In any case, an overwhelming excess of anything, be it food or drink, is best avoided. While I don’t believe we should make alcohol the scapegoat for liver disease, that doesn’t grant you a free pass to go wild like it’s your twenty-first birthday. Use good judgment to love your liver and life!

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.