I’m a nutritionist – here’s the 5 ways a post-Dry January booze blowout is endangering your health

It’s February 1st, that might mean you’re going to want to drink a lot of alcohol tonight if you’ve done Dry January.

However, one expert has warned that a blowout could endanger your health.

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Nutritionist Hannah Macey said you might consider rewarding yourself with a large glass of wine tonight for surviving the month of January without alcohol.

However, she said you can undo all the hard work you’ve put in.

“Our poor bodies have so much extra work to do when we drink that our detoxification system needs to kick into gear.

“Our liver is a strong and resilient organ, but this toxin hit means it has a negative impact on it, which in turn can affect how other toxins are processed and weaken the immune system, which is why it’s common to catch a cold after drinking.” ” She said.

Aside from a nasty cold, you could also be suffering from various health issues, said Feel Complete’s chief nutritionist.

1. Good

When we start drinking again after a month’s abstinence, our gut health suffers, Hannah said.

Alcohol causes the stomach to produce more acid, which can cause your stomach lining to become inflamed and show up through symptoms like diarrhea, heartburn, bloating and gas, the expert added.

“This inflammation can also increase permeability (leaky gut) and damage the tissues in the gut.

“This decreases the ability to properly absorb nutrients from food, potentially leading to malabsorption issues, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

“Leaky gut has been linked to mood swings and anxiety,” she said.

Additionally, it can negatively impact our gut microbiome and doesn’t support our good bacteria, which have many important jobs around the body, including digesting food, supporting hormones, the immune system, and even our mental health, Hannah said.

However, a study published in June 2022 found that one beer a day could help your gut.

A trial on 19 men at Nova University Lisbon in Portugal found that the daily drink boosted the antioxidants that give wine its health boost.

Lead author Professor Ana Faria wrote in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry: “The results of this study show that drinking beer increases the diversity of gut bacteria without significantly altering body weight.

“Lower bacterial diversity has been linked to diabetes and heart disease.”

2. Weight gain

As we begin to drink more, it is inevitable that the number of calories we consume will also increase.

“It’s so easy to forget about those extra calories when you’re drinking, and with a tall glass of wine (250ml) with nearly 200 calories, it’s easy to see how quickly those unwanted pounds pile on,” Hannah said.

Alcohol is known to increase appetite, and a study published in October 2022 found you can still booze and lose weight as long as you snack on high-protein foods like nuts.

One study found that drinkers who chose these foods consumed fewer calories overall than those who ate fatty items.

3. Poor sleep

While you might fall asleep immediately after sipping a glass of wine or a cheeky G&T, chances are the quality of your slumber is poor, Hannah said.

“The body skips the stages of deep sleep, which means you wake up unrefreshed and have barely slept.

“Many find themselves waking up wide awake during the night and not being able to go back to sleep. Again, this is alcohol disrupting our natural sleep cycle,” she added.

4. Mood change

Many people use alcohol to improve their mood or to unwind from a stressful day.

But Hannah said that maybe the day after, you could have the opposite effects.

She explained: “Alcohol is a depressant and after drinking you wake up anxious, very anxious and not able to remember things.

“If you notice a change in your mental health during dry January, I would take that as a sign that you need to support your mental health by abstaining from alcohol.”

5. Skin problems

Once you start drinking again, chances are your skin will take a hit, Hannah said.

“It can become more dehydrated, drier, and prone to breakouts, especially if your sleep is disrupted by drinking too much,” she said.

The expert added that a key benefit of dry January is that it helps us understand our relationship with alcohol.

Many people find that by the time January rolls around, they drink less because they’ve successfully worked through the withdrawal phase, she said.

“Many people choose to continue drinking less or not at all because the absence of these symptoms makes life so much better.

“The most important point to remember is that temporarily (or completely) abstaining from alcohol can have a positive impact on your gut health and overall health.

“So you have nothing to lose by keeping January, February, March and April dry,” she said.