We all enjoy a night out on the town, beers with the guys or a few glasses of wine with the girls. I personally have over indulged this summer. I would lounge by the pool, with a cocktail…At the beach, with a cocktail…BBQ-ing, with a cocktail. Summer for me should have spelled F-U-N which at the time it did, but now I have been faced with the aftermath of side effects and see F-A-T. Research studies have shown that acute consumption actually has some health benefits. Like the antioxidants in wine that help fight free-radicals as well as a few others. But if we knew how alcohol negatively affects our skin and body, maybe we wouldn’t enjoy it as often. Here’s why:
The water you drink serves as a type of internal moisturizer for your skin. Staying properly hydrated can smooth out wrinkles, causing your skin to appear brighter and younger. Alcohol, along with caffeinated drinks like coffee and soda, has the opposite effect. A drink will dehydrate you and deplete vital skin nutrients, making your skin appear dull. Doctors have also found that those who drink heavily tend to have less healthy diets, which can deprive the skin of necessary nutrients that keep it looking healthy and young
Drinking alcohol also causes facial blood vessels to dilate, and repeated overindulgence can cause the vessels to dilate permanently, causing red, spidery veins. Eeew! And if you have a pre-existing skin condition, excessive alcohol use can worsen it. Alcohol consumption may exacerbate flare-ups of rosacea and psoriasis, and dermatologists recommend minimizing your intake to avoid these issues. Skin wrinkles can occur after an extended period of alcohol abuse because the water in the body and skin is continually evaporated. This occurs because alcohol is a powerful dehydrating substance. Also, overindulgence of alcohol causes a decrease in the body's level of vitamin A. This is a very important antioxidant vitamin that supports body and skin health.
If you drink, moderate alcohol consumption is the best way to avoid any negative side effects. And after a night on the town, water will help to counteract the dehydration that comes with drinking alcohol. Avoid the greasy foods or cocktail concoctions often associated with hangover cures and replace them with healthier, nutrient-rich foods to reverse some of the negative effects of a night out.
If that doesn’t give you frown lines, then this will. Alcohol provides empty calories. No nutritional benefit is derived from alcohol. Alcohol is 7.1 calories per gram, which is almost as high as fat in caloric content at 9 calories per gram. Be it beer, vodka, wine, etc. In addition alcohol temporarily slows down the metabolism. The effect of this is that less fat is burned. Generally, high fat foods are consumed with alcohol, which makes matters worse. Also, alcohol inhibits the liver from metabolizing fat. As you can see any weight loss programs suggest to refrain from alcohol when trying to lose weight.
