Most of us like to partake in the occasional drink or two, especially on days like today. But let’s face it …there usually doesn’t have to be a reason to celebrate for us to indulge in an alchoholic beverage.
It is with that in mind that I found it interesting to come across this information (research) that shows that going dry for a even small amount of time can have a serious impact on your health (inside and out)!
New Scientist magazine decided to run a Dry Month experiment and asked 14 staffers to participate. After filling out a lifestyle questionnaire and undergoing a medical checkup, ten people quit quaffing for 30 days while four kept to their usual beers after work. Afterward, they repeated the questionnaire and blood work.
The results surprised even the scientists. In just 30 days, the sober sippers saw their liver fat—a dangerous precursor to liver damage—drop almost 20 percent. In addition, their blood glucose levels went down 16 percent, thereby significantly lowering their risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This is the first study to show such an immediate drop from going dry, according to James Ferguson, M.D., a liver specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in England.
It’s as good for your outside as it is for your inside. “People always forget the amount of calories in alcohol, so if you take a month off, and you usually consume 20 units, you’re going to lose weight and fat. It’s a massive reduction in calories,” Ferguson added. And the participants said it also bettered their lives by improving their sleep quality and ability to concentrate at work.
Kevin Moore, a liver health expert who supervised the experiment, called the results staggering, saying, “What you have is a pretty average group of British people who would not consider themselves heavy drinkers, yet stopping drinking for a month alters liver fat, cholesterol and blood sugar, and helps them lose weight. If someone had a health product that did all that in one month, they would be raking it in.”
Coincidentally, about the same time as this news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their report on drinking in the U.S. According to their new research, six Americans die every day from alcohol abuse and is a leading killer of people in the prime of their lives. If that’s not enough to make you rethink grabbing drinks after a long day…what is?
SOURCE: Shape.com
To receive similar content, “Like” us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/niagarabuzz.ca
