#092 The Truth About Alcohol: Risks, Benefits, and Everything In-Between | Dr. Rhonda Patrick

My omega-3 guide on concerns like a-fib, dosage, supplement quality, oxidation, and more Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot Join over 300,000 people and sign up for my newsletter Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more In this special solo episode of FoundMyFitness, we’re taking a deep dive into alcohol. We’ll explore the science, misconceptions, controversies, and health effects of this widely used drug. I believe that a nuanced, scientific discussion on alcohol is the best way to provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision about alcohol use. Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (08:03) What does it mean to "have a drink"? (09:39) Drinking frequency definitions (12:39) How alcohol is metabolized (18:25) Can alcoholism be inherited? (19:41) How food affects alcohol metabolism (21:40) Does age affect alcohol metabolism? (22:29) How alcohol affects nutrient absorption (27:04) How alcohol affects gut health (28:57) Alcohol elevates circulating LPS levels (31:51) Gut health & alcohol use disorders (36:30) Sick quitter & healthy user biases (39:38) How alcohol impacts the brain (43:34) Alcohol's effects on anxiety (49:56) Alcohol facilitates thiamine deficiency (51:39) Alcohol promotes brain inflammation (52:56) Dementia & Alzheimer's disease risk  (1:06:50) Is resveratrol in red wine beneficial? (1:11:28) How alcohol impacts sleep (1:19:47) Mitigating alcohol's impact on sleep  (1:22:13) Hangover symptoms & causes (1:26:33) How congeners affect hangover severity (1:27:58) Treating hangovers with fruit (1:30:40) Zinc, vitamin B3, & hangovers (1:31:41) Managing hangovers with NSAIDs (1:32:22) "Hair of the dog” for hangovers (1:32:40) Liposomal glutathione, NAC, & hangovers (1:35:56) Does ZBiotics prevent hangovers? (1:38:18) Dihydromyricetin (DHM) for hangovers (1:39:15) Exercise & sauna for treating hangovers (1:40:21) Alcohol's effect on mortality risk  (1:44:28) Alcohol consumption in Blue Zones (1:49:07) Does alcohol increase cancer risk? (2:00:43) Can quitting alcohol lower cancer risk? (2:09:46) Alcohol & cardiovascular disease (CVD) (2:23:24) Alcohol and type 2 diabetes risk (2:28:28) Alcohol's impact on your waistline (2:31:33) Why alcohol facilitates weight gain (2:34:06) How alcohol impacts reproductive health (2:44:31) Preconception alcohol risks (2:47:12) How alcohol affects testosterone in men (2:48:55) Pre-pregnancy alcohol consumption risks (2:53:17) Is red wine the healthiest option? (2:57:47) Alcohol & post-exercise recovery (3:01:34) Does alcohol "blunt your gains"? (3:04:11) The BEER-HIIT study (3:05:03) Can exercise lessen alcohol cravings? (3:12:57) Alcohol damage control tactics Show notes are available by clicking here Watch this episode on YouTube