Being in the midst of the holidays, or just because it’s 2020 this year, some of us have been swapping our water for a bottle of gin.
Is this okay, especially if you are dealing with hormonal issues?
Sorry to be the Grinch, but yeah, it could be problematic.
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First and foremost, alcohol is going to affect your liver for it is the primary organ that is going to process it, and because it is considered a co-carcinogen. Of all the other crap your liver has to process in today’s world (from your makeup, the water we drink, the polluted air, fragrances, etc.) this will just add to the struggle. This can directly influence a few things such as your blood sugar levels, your thyroid and if you have any allergies.
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Your liver runs off of glucose and does all 3 mechanisms when it comes to blood sugar: stores, releases and produces depending on the body’s needs. By drinking, this can cause irregular blood sugar levels and have it rise fiercely and drop just as hard.
As for your thyroid, remember that most of your thyroid hormone is converted into active thyroid hormone. Alcohol can slow this process down and even the uptake of energy within the cells.
If you have any allergies, this is important to note, for our liver is where histamine is broken down, thus some people with alcohol can develop rashes, headaches, hot flushes, etc.
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Studies have shown that with just ONE drink, it can increase one’s estrogen, testosterone and LH levels, while lowering progesterone, hence cause an irregularity in one’s cycles if one is still menstruating. This, however, can be different depending on what someone is drinking as well.
For instance, beer tends to be much more estrogenic due to the hops found in it. Wine has a longer fermentation process which can irritate and exacerbate people’s histamine issues. Gin or tequila are very strong drinks that have been shown to wipe out bacteria, both good and bad, which falls into our next point.
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Alcohol also affects our gut. The ethanol in the drink depletes our gut bacteria and damages our gut lining, which can lead to “leaky gut”.
Once we end up with “leaky gut” a surplus of issues can arise such as the potential entrance of bacteria, viruses and food particles as well as the leakage of LPS (lipopolysaccharides), a bacterial endotoxin which gets released into the blood stream and induce low-grade inflammation. LPS has also been shown to induce oxidative damage, which can contribute to the weakening and aging of the body.
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Lastly, alcohol depletes magnesium, as well as other minerals, for it is very dehydrating.
Did you check out my “Magnesium Burn rate” post? IF not, check it out and learn WHY magnesium is important, especially when we are stressed.
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Will you be drinking this holiday season?