The truth about alcohol consumption, a bioengineered probiotic that prevents hangovers, and answer the call to adventure.
I mentioned last week that I was going to be doing some segments on alcohol consumption in the coming weeks.
I want to be clear, I am not doing these segments to urge anyone to drink alcohol, or even to promote its consumption, rather, I am merely trying to do what I always try to do with this blog, and that is to shed light on subjects to help you better sort through the plethora of information out there.
I’m seeing a lot of what appears to be a demonization of alcohol right now by people who quite frankly, stand to gain (for the most part) on convincing you that it is pure poison and destroying your health, from health influencers on social media, to mocktail beverage companies, and more.
In fact, there is quite a bit of research backed evidence that small to very moderate amounts of alcohol can be good for your health, and potentially promote longevity.
My aim is simply to also arm you with science backed data, and a deeper understanding of alcohol itself, so that again, you are armed to make more informed decisions for yourself, and what is best for you.
What is alcohol?
In an alcoholic drink, “alcohol” refers to a chemical called ethanol (chemical formula C₂H₅OH).
Ethanol is a small molecule made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It’s the only type of alcohol that’s safe (in moderation) for human consumption.
There are other kinds of alcohols (like methanol or isopropanol), but those are toxic and not meant for drinking.
How ethanol works in drinks:
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It’s produced naturally during fermentation, when yeast eats sugars and turns them into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
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In beer, wine, spirits, etc., fermentation creates different concentrations of ethanol.
- When you drink it, ethanol acts as a central nervous system depressant — it slows down brain activity, leading to feelings like relaxation, lowered inhibitions, and (in higher amounts) impaired judgment and coordination.
In short:
✔️ Alcohol is also considered a macronutrient, like protein, carbohydrates, and fats, so it’s technically a fuel source, although, definitely not ideal to consume as a fuel source.
✔️ So, alcohol in and of itself, is not objectively bad.
Acetaldehyde: The Toxic Byproduct of Alcohol
When you think of the toxic effects of alcohol consumption, or over consumption, it is not actually alcohol that is the culprit, it is a byproduct of alcohol known as acetaldehyde.
Here is a quick step-by-step breakdown of how alcohol (ethanol) is converted to acetaldehyde in the body:
Acetaldehyde is made from alcohol (ethanol) through a chemical reaction in your body called oxidation.
Here’s the basic process:
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You drink alcohol → ethanol enters your bloodstream.
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Your liver uses an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) to start breaking down the ethanol.
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The ADH enzyme oxidizes ethanol — meaning it removes two hydrogen atoms from the ethanol molecule.
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Result: ethanol (C₂H₅OH) becomes acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO).
When you have acetaldehyde buildup in your body, it can result in side effects like inflammation, headaches, et cetera, or what would commonly be known as a “hangover”.
So alcohol itself is not explicitly bad for you, in fact, it’s technically a macronutrient; rather, it’s the buildup of a molecule known as acetaldehyde from the over consumption of alcohol, that has toxic properties.
Here’s some information that I bet is going to shock you…
Acetaldehyde is a far more common byproduct than you probably realize.
Remember, alcohol is an actual macronutrient, not an objectively toxic substance.
Here’s a quick list of other foods that result in acetaldehyde as a byproduct in your body:
- Bread
- Fermented foods like yogurt
- Cheese
- Vinegar
- Chocolate
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Beets
- Onions
- Corn
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Apples
- Pineapple
- Cherries
- ...and more
So you might be thinking why these foods don’t cause a hangover right?
Ahh, that’s where the OVER consumption aspect comes into play.
When drinking socially, and maybe not with the intent to “drink to your health” in mind, there is a tendency to drink beyond moderation, which research tells us is 1-2 drinks depending on your body’s ability to metabolize alcohol, and thus, avoid acetaldehyde buildup.
This is probably not the case for many of these foods.
Typically you have a banana, which will produce a very manageable amount of acetaldehyde, and thus, won’t have any negative side effects, and could even elicit a healthy hormetic response in the body, much like a small amount of alcohol could (more on that in a bit).
Eat a dozen bananas in a sitting, and maybe you’d actually feel the effects of acetaldehyde buildup.
Think about bread now, something you may have a tendency to over consume in a sitting.
If that bread also produces acetaldehyde, which when builds up, causes inflammation, and then you throw in the pro-inflammatory effects of over consuming processed wheat in the form of flour, and you can see why eating a whole pizza in a sitting might give you a bit of a hangover.
The reality is, if you think by cutting out alcohol, you are cutting out the toxic effects of alcohol, most likely, you’re wrong, as acetaldehyde is a very common byproduct of foods we eat everyday.
Again, not urging anyone to consume alcohol, or not consume, just shedding light on the subject.
A Deeper Dive on the “Hangover”
For a bit of an aside before concluding this week’s segment, let’s segue to unpacking what typically goes into causing a hangover.
In these situations, you are typically drinking socially, over consuming, later into the night, and also eating later into the night.
I’m willing to bet that when we explicitly put the blame of a hangover on over consuming alcohol, it’s actually a confluence of factors.
Yes, over consuming alcohol will lead to a buildup of acetaldehyde in the body, and can contribute to a hangover, no doubt.
But, take these potential factors into account…
You’re typically drinking later into the night, in a highly stimulated environment, which means you are not only going to get less sleep, but a lower quality of sleep.
Furthermore, eating, and oftentimes, unhealthy, pro-inflammatory foods are involved, sometimes also later at night than you should.
Do not underestimate the havoc eating food late at night in general causes on the body, let alone processed, pro-inflammatory foods.
I’ve been tracking my sleep for years now with a biofeedback strap and can definitively say that eating food late into the night, especially pro-inflammatory food, is worse for your body and sleep than just consuming alcohol.
Meaning, if you were to choose one of the two: drink later at night, but with no food, or eat unhealthy food later into the night, but no drinking, your sleep and overall recovery will be better when you drink and don’t eat (within reason on just how much you drink of course).
Eat half a chocolate cake at midnight and then go to bed, and I assure you, you will feel like garbage in the morning.
Also worth taking into consideration, is what you are drinking with your alcohol.
Are you drinking sugary mixes?
Wine filled with pesticides, herbicides, and preservatives?
Cheap beer brewed with processed grains?
In these instances, it might be what’s being consumed with the alcohol that could also be contributing to a hangover or a sluggish following day.
So, does acetaldehyde buildup from over consumption of alcohol contribute to a hangover?
Absolutely, but I’d bet that if you unpack any recent hangovers, or even just feeling sluggish from a night of drinking socially, you’d realize that there were probably many factors that contributed to how you felt the next day.
Small Amounts of Alcohol Cause a Positive Hormetic Response
Last week, I primed this conversation by discussing the idea of hormesis, where the body (at the cellular level) responds positively to a stressor, within reason.
If you haven’t read that segment yet, it’s well worth the five minutes and you can check it out by clicking HERE, as it will provide a foundation for first principles thinking on how you can improve your health and longevity as a whole through a better understanding of hormesis.
Some quick examples of hormesis are exercise, sauna (heat exposure), cold plunge or shower (cold exposure), and fasting.
These are things that you do strategically to stress the body a bit, and in return your cells elicit what is known as a “hormetic response”, which creates healthier, more resilient cells.
There is growing thought that small amounts of alcohol may elicit a hormetic response within the body that actually have a cellular protective effect.
This is difficult to truly measure, so there’s not a lot of research on it either way, but this would be one conclusion that could be drawn from some research and studies we know of related to alcohol.
First, there is a direct correlation to lower incidences of diseases, most notably cardiovascular disease, and small to moderate amounts of alcohol consumption, as well as anthropological date from the longest living people in the world, as many of the oldest people in the world report having a “drink a day” for the greater majority of their life.
I will conclude this conversation next week by sharing some of the research on alcohol and longevity, and discussing how to stay within a therapeutic dose of alcohol when consuming, as well as the best choices if/when drinking to your health is of consideration.
The overarching theme of this week is developing a better understanding for what actually happens to your body when you consume alcohol.
At the root of toxicity from over consumption of alcohol is acetaldehyde, a food byproduct that is created not just from alcohol, but many other common foods, many of which are healthy foods.
I am going to sneak a shameless plug in for a really cool product we carry called ZBioitics, that tackles the heart of the issue with alcohol over consumption, or maybe eating a dozen bananas in one sitting.
It is a bioengineered probiotic that breaks down acetaldehyde, making it far less likely that you are going to have a buildup of it when drinking, and thus, are far less likely to have a hangover, and other toxic side effects.
It’s a simple, pretty mild tasting shot you put down before you consume alcohol, and they work!
CLICK HERE to learn more about ZBiotics.
The meaning of life.
Genesis 12:1-3
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
For context, this is the voice of God speaking to Abraham, urging him to leave his homeland to seek out a divinely appointed land to build a city, state, nation there.
In other words, you could say, “Seek the call to adventure, and you will be a blessing to yourself and to others.”
Whoa.
This could very well be the answer to the perpetual question, “What is the meaning of life?”
“Adventure” and the call to it, can simply mean “go after it, or something”, and you will be a blessing to yourself and to others.
Apply this call to adventure to your health for example.
Wander, experiment, grow, and never stop learning how you can get the most out of this human body you’ve been blessed with.
That sounds like a responsible, but still rather romantic adventure through life.
Think if you answer this call to adventure, that you will be a blessing to yourself and to others?
I’d bet so.
A call to adventure doesn’t have to mean up and leaving everything, in fact, it probably shouldn’t.
I think there are far more impactful “quests” in your everyday life that you can heed the call to, that would be far more impactful.
The quest for more optimal health being just one of them.
And for those going through tremendous pain in life, answering the call to adventure, to quest for something, could be enough of a reason to get up in the morning, it could provide the purpose, or meaning one is lacking.
What kind of adventures, what quests could you embark on in your everyday life that will result in you being a true blessing to yourself and to others?
