Most of us enjoy a glass of something alcoholic now and then.. 

Do you enjoy a glass of wine with your meal or maybe a glass of whisky in the evening? If you do then you're very much like a large percentage of the population who drink alcohol as a regular part of their daily routine.

Effects of alcohol on the body worsen with time.. 

The only problem is - as we grow older - the effects of alcohol on the body are more potent.  So, for those of us who are serious about slowing down the aging process, it's important to understand just what the aging effects of alcohol are.

Most of us already know that excessive consumption of alcohol causes liver damage, but did you know that one of the most aging effects of alcohol is that drinking makes you more likely to develop osteoporosis? 

Alcohol interferes with the body's ability to absorb calcium so the more alcohol you drink, the greater the risk of brittle bones and other related calcium deficiency problems will be.

Aging effects on the skin..

When it comes to the aging effects of alcohol on the skin - we don't escape lightly. Alcohol causes the small blood vessels to widen, producing flushed skin and often broken veins. The older we become, the higher the likelihood of alcohol related skin problems.  And what's more, because alcohol is dehydrating, those of us who enjoy a regular drink will also be more prone to premature wrinkling.

And on the figure..

Because alcohol is high in calories, regular drinking is also fattening. In fact - as a rough calculation  - we need to walk one mile for every unit of alcohol we drink in order to walk off those added calories. If we don't rid ourselves of alcohol calories, they'll most likely be stored as fat around the abdomen, hence the term "beer belly". 

One beer or full unit of alcohol every evening adds 15 pounds to your stomach in a year and it gets worse -  drinking alcohol is likely to stimulate your appetite causing you to eat more than you need.  It's believed that the increase in appetite associated with alcohol consumption is sparked by alcohol calories being empty calories - calories that have no nutritional value whatsoever.

Why women feel the effects more quickly..

Alcohol doesn't need to be digested. It's quickly absorbed into the blood where it remains until it's broken down by the liver. Sadly, lighter people are more likely to become drunk because heavier people have more blood and water in the body to dilute the alcohol.

It's also a fact that the immediate effects of alcohol are greater on a woman than on a man.  Alcohol is stored in fat and - unfortunately - women tend to have more fat than men so it takes women much longer to eliminate the alcohol from their bodies.

There's further bad news for women as our ability to process alcohol worsens with age.  This is due to the fact that we tend to store more fat from the age of around 40 onwards so the time the body takes to process and eliminate alcohol increases.    

Why some mixers get you drunk more quickly.. 

If your intention isn't to get  drunk, it's worth bearing in mind that water and fruit juices used as mixers will slow the absorption process while carbonated drinks will speed it up as the gas delivers the alchohol into your bloodstream quicker.  As well as making you drunk more quickly carbonated drinks usually contain sugar - piling on yet more calories without any nutritional value.

You may have noticed that warmed alcoholic drinks seem far more potent than cold ones.  This is simply due to the fact that warm alcohol is absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream.  So that's why that mulled wine at Christmas or the gluwein on the ski slopes can knock you out so quickly. 

But surely there's some good news?

But it isn't all bad news when it comes to drinking as the French have proved.  French people eat a diet that contains one of the highest levels of fat in the world and despite this they have a staggering 42% lower incidence of heart disease than Americans.  

They owe their increased resistance to heart disease largely due to wine consumption - although it is probably true that the healthier French diet has something to do with these statistics.  French people eat a much higher proportion of fruit, vegetables and wholefoods with much less heavily processed food than the average American. 

The 'healthiest' red wine is Californian..

Scientists have linked the protective effects of wine to an organic compound known as 'resveratrol' that's found in red wine.  A glass or two of this wonderful substance taken daily decreases the likelihood of atherosclerotic disease occurring.  And the wine with the highest concentration of resveratrol in the world - Californian red of course! 

Moderate your intake for health and looks..

So consumption of a moderate amount of the right kind of alcohol - plus a healthy diet - is advised.  We all know the numbers by now - no more than two units per day for women and three for men; anything more and the effects of alcohol on the body become a health risk that should be avoided. Saving up units to use during the weekend isn't a good idea either as binge drinking leads to a higher risk of liver and heart disease as well as other immediate problems.

Drink wisely and the aging effects of alcohol on the body can be positive. Drink unwisely and your choice will show through your
health, skin, and increased size