Summer Drinking

By Carly Thompson-Memmer, PhD Student

Ah summer: the time to kick back, relax and hang out with family and friends. Most of us will be attending a gathering, barbeque or party sometime this season and many of these events will have alcohol present. Although there’s nothing wrong with having a drink occasionally, it’s important to drink in moderation to avoid future health issues.

What’s in your drink?

In the United States, a standard alcoholic drink contains 0.6 ounces (1.2 tablespoons) of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of alcohol is found in:

• 12 ounces of beer (with 5% alcohol content).

• 8 ounces of malt liquor (with 7% alcohol content).

• 5 ounces of wine (with 12% alcohol content).

• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof (with 40% alcohol content) distilled spirits or liquor (such as: gin, rum, vodka, whiskey).

The alcoholic drinks below can vary in their serving size and calorie content. Keep in mind that many restaurants and bars may not serve you a glass of the standard serving size. For example, have you ever been served a margarita in a four-ounce glass? Probably not; so just be aware that one glass may not equal one drink.

Alcohol and Women

Due to variations in body chemistry and structure, women generally take more time than men to metabolize the same amount of alcohol. In the past, there have been claims that moderate alcohol consumption can be beneficial, such as drinking wine to improve heart health. However, more recent studies from the National Institutes of Health say this may not be true.

Some alcohol-related health concerns for women include:

• Liver Disease: The risk of cirrhosis (severe scarring of the liver) and other alcohol-related liver diseases are higher for women than for men.

• Brain Impairment: Excessive drinking may result in memory loss and shrinkage of the brain and this damage appears sooner for women than for men.

• Cancer: For women, as alcohol consumption increases, so does the risk for developing breast cancer. Additionally, the risk of developing colon, throat and esophageal cancer increases with additional alcohol use.

• Weight Gain: Although we may not want to believe it, alcohol does contain calories. Therefore, excessive alcohol use can negatively affect metabolism and make it harder for women to maintain or lose weight.

Ways to limit your alcohol consumption:

• Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Add extra ice to alcoholic beverages to water them down and last longer.

• Bring non-alcoholic drinks you’ll enjoy so you don’t have to choose between alcohol and just water. a

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