Qualy #1 - What are Peter's thoughts on alcohol consumption and health?

Today's episode of The Qualys is from podcast <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/ama01/">#04 – AMA #1: alcohol, best lab tests, wearables, finding the right doc, racing, and more</a>. The Qualys is a subscriber-exclusive podcast, released Tuesday through Friday, and published exclusively on our private, subscriber-only podcast feed. Qualys is short-hand for "qualifying round," which are typically the fastest laps driven in a race car—done before the race to determine starting position on the grid for race day. The Qualys are short (i.e., "fast"), typically less than ten minutes, and highlight the best questions, topics, and tactics discussed on The Drive. Occasionally, we will also release an episode on the main podcast feed for non-subscribers, which is what you are listening to now. Learn more: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/qualys/">https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/qualys/</a> Subscribe to receive access to all episodes of The Qualys (and other exclusive subscriber-only content): <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/">https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/</a> Connect with Peter on <a href="http://facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD%5dFacebook">Facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD%5dTwitter">Twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD%5dInstagram">Instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD</a>

Actionable Insights

1. Limit Alcohol for Better Sleep

Avoid consuming two or more alcoholic drinks in the evening, as this profoundly impacts sleep by increasing resting heart rate, delaying its achievement, squashing heart rate variability, and compressing REM cycles.

2. Reflect on Drinking’s Purpose

Actively question why you are drinking alcohol, asking if it’s merely for the sake of it, to soothe another issue, or if it leads to behaviors you’re unhappy with, such as loosening dietary reins.

3. Practice Purpose-Driven Drinking

Adopt a rule to only drink alcohol that is ‘good’ or ’exceptional,’ making consumption purpose-driven rather than drinking just because it’s available, like avoiding low-quality alcohol on airplanes.

4. Monitor Liver Health (ALT)

Consider checking your liver function, specifically ALT levels, and aim for an ALT below 20, as higher levels (e.g., above 42) may indicate fatty liver, prompting an investigation into its cause (ethanol vs. fructose).

5. Beware Alcohol’s Eating Impact

Be aware that alcohol consumption can lead to a loosening of dietary discipline, causing you to eat foods you would otherwise avoid, which is a common problem for many people.

6. Understand Standard Drink Sizes

Recognize that a standard drink, whether an ounce of distilled spirits, a four-ounce glass of wine, or a 10-12 ounce beer, generally contains about 15 grams of ethanol, which can help in tracking intake.

7. Weigh Alcohol’s Stress Benefit

If using alcohol for stress reduction, consider if the potential net benefit of a single glass of wine (e.g., lower cortisol, reduced emotional distress) outweighs any potential drawbacks of ethanol, such as increased appetite dysregulation.

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