What’s the Healthiest Alcohol? Understanding How Different Drinks Affect Your Body

Trying to find the healthiest alcohol might sound like an oxymoron, and we get it — alcohol isn’t exactly the best thing for our bodies. Recent research has shown the negative effects of alcohol (including acid reflux) and if a pregnant woman has even a tiny amount, it can impact a fetus with long term consequences. But we also know that it’s been a central part of human gatherings for centuries, and is a treasured pleasure for many. So is there such a thing as healthy alcohol? We dug into it and laid out all the info for you in this guide, including what alcohol does to your body, the healthiest alcohol to drink (and least healthy), a deep dive on organic wine (what even is sulfite-free wine?), and more.

You can also listen to this guide on The WellBe Podcast.

What Alcohol Does to Your Body

Before we get into the negative effects of alcohol, let’s take a step back to explain what, exactly, happens to your body when you drink alcohol. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what alcohol does to your body:

• You take a sip of alcohol. That sip immediately moves into the small blood vessels on your mouth and tongue.
• The alcohol then moves down your esophagus and passes into your stomach. If there is food in your stomach, the alcohol remains there for some time, and a portion of it is broken down by an enzyme before passing into the bloodstream.
• The remaining alcohol (around 75% — more if your stomach was empty) then passes into your small intestine. From there, it is absorbed into your bloodstream.
• Once the alcohol is in your blood, it circulates throughout your entire body, reaching your brain within five minutes. Within 10 minutes, you’ll notice the effects of alcohol, such as lowered inhibitions, trouble concentrating, relaxation, slowed thinking, and flushed skin. 
• After about 20 minutes, your liver will begin to break down the alcohol. The liver is responsible for filtering 80-90% of the alcohol you consume, and it can break down alcohol at a rate of about one drink per hour. This rate can vary depending on your size, age, sex, and liver health.
• The alcohol not filtered by the liver goes into the kidneys, which are responsible for balancing the amount of fluid in the body, and removing waste through urine (which explains why drinking alcohol can make you need to pee more than drinking other liquids does!).
• Two enzymes help metabolize alcohol: alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). In a two-step process, they convert the alcohol into water and carbon dioxide, which makes it easier to eliminate.

So now that you know the biology and physiology of what alcohol does to your body, what about those negative effects of alcohol we referenced earlier? Let’s get into them.

The Negative Effects of Alcohol on the Body

First off, it must be said: alcohol is a toxin. And like any toxin, it can have negative effects on your body. Those negative health effects include:

• Heart issues, such as irregular heartbeat and stretching or drooping of the heart muscle 
• Increased risk of stroke
• High blood pressure
• Liver issues, such as cirrhosis (irreversible scarring of the liver and loss of liver cells)
• Increased risk of pancreatitis (a dangerous swelling of the pancreas that prevents proper digestion)
• Increased risk of various cancers, including liver cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and throat cancer
• Too much or too little sugar in the blood (because alcohol damages the pancreas, which regulates the body’s insulin use and response to glucose)
• Changes and damage to brain structure that lead to difficulty forming long- and short-term memories

For a long time, the conventional wisdom has been that alcohol in moderation is fine, or even good for you (for instance, red wine has long been linked to better heart health, and moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s). However, recent research has emerged suggesting that any amount of alcohol increases disease risk, and an independent scientific committee advised the USDA to reduce the recommended maximum number of alcoholic drinks per day from two to one (the USDA ignored that recommendation, but that’s a topic for another time). 

So which is it? How can people who live the longest without chronic disease (aka the people who live in areas known as the Blue Zones which are the five places in the world where people live the longest) drink alcohol at the same time that we see so much research showing any amount of alcohol is bad for us? Is there such a thing as healthy alcohol consumption or not?  Well, it depends, and the two biggest determining factors are what else you’ve got going on in your body and the frequency, reason, and quality/type and amount of alcohol you drink. 

To better explain the first factor, we’ll borrow the bucket analogy that Dr. Brooke Kalanick used when explaining the idea of histamine tolerance: think of your body as a bucket, and when that bucket overflows, that’s when health issues begin. If your bucket is pretty empty, putting in a bit of alcohol won’t necessarily result in health issues, but if you’re already reaching the brim, that alcohol could push you over the brim. How full your particular bucket is depends on what else is going on with you — is your body dealing with a leaky gut, a food allergy, some environmental toxicity? If your body is already working overtime trying to empty your bucket, it will have a much more difficult time processing alcohol than someone who has good gut health, a strong immune system, no chronic health issues, and low exposure to other toxins. 

With the second factor, it makes sense that someone who drinks nightly will be more likely to have health issues compared to someone who drinks a few times a year. It also makes sense that someone who consumes five drinks a night is more likely to have health issues than someone who consumes one drink a night. The reason you’re drinking also plays a role in how it impacts your health. The Blue Zones have shown us that drinking as part of gathering with your community and sharing time with loved ones is healthier than drinking alone or as a coping mechanism. Less known is the impact of the quality and type of alcohol. Just as an egg from a factory farm chicken is less healthy than a pasture-raised organic egg, mass-produced, non-organic wine full of chemicals and added sulfites is less healthy than an organic, small batch wine. But we’ll get into more detail on that below.

Okay, so are some types of alcohol healthier than others? You bet. Let’s get into it.

Choosing the Healthiest Alcohol: A Drink-By-Drink Breakdown

When you’re deciding what to order at a bar or pick up at the liquor store, you’re probably considering a lot of factors: taste, price, calories, and circumstance in which you’ll be drinking. Here’s another one to consider: which is the healthiest alcohol to drink? Here’s a rundown on how different types of booze stack up, health-wise.

• Wine

Wine drinkers live longer than people who drink other forms of alcohol. Red wine in particular has been associated with a ton of health benefits, including lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer. These health benefits likely derive from red wine’s high content of resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant. Vive la vin! 

But before you pop the cork on another bottle, know that wine also has some health drawbacks. First, as WellBe expert Dr. Jonathan Aviv explains, it is highly acidic (white slightly more acidic than red), and can cause your sinuses to swell and trigger an allergic response. Second, many wines contain added sugars that can cause inflammation. You can mitigate this by choosing dry wines, which have less sugar, and making sure to choose organic (more on that below!)

• Whiskey/Bourbon

Sorry, whiskey lovers: when it comes to straight booze, brown liquors can have more negative health effects than clear ones. Whiskey, bourbon, rye, rum, and other dark spirits have been known to cause some pretty killer hangovers, potentially due to tannins, additives, or compounds that leach from wooden casks during aging.

But that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear if you go with clear liquor (see what we did there?). They may be a better choice overall, but not all clear spirits are created equal.

• Mezcal

One of our favorite spirits is mezcal, an ultra-pure tequila, required by law to be 100% agave. When you opt for single ingredient liquor (just like one-ingredient foods) there is less chance of chemicals and other harmful additives. Mezcal is also made through fermentation, which means it can promote healthy digestion because it introduces more good bacteria into your gut. 

• Tequila

While mezcal is legally required to be 100% agave, up to 49% of a bottle of tequila can contain fillers like corn, grain, sulfates, and artificial colors and flavors. If you’re a tequila lover, just look for “100% Agave” on the label and you should be good. Better yet, look for the organic label! Tequila that is 100% agave also has some health benefits, including improved digestion (because of that fermentation) and lower LDL cholesterol levels.

• Vodka 

Vodka may increase blood flow to the heart and HDL (good) cholesterol. But be forewarned: most vodka is grain-based and so contains gluten, which is problematic for those with Celiac disease but can cause inflammation even for those with undiagnosed gluten sensitivity. When we drink vodka, we’re choosing brands like Crop Organic, which is both USDA organic and certified gluten-free. If you can’t find an organic vodka, Tito’s is also gluten-free.

• Beer

While beer can contain potassium and B vitamins and increase good cholesterol, these benefits are pretty insignificant when compared to beer’s high carb and calorie content. Plus if you’re sensitive to gluten, the malted barley in beer can make your immune system attack the lining of your small intestine.

So what’s the verdict when it comes to the healthiest alcohol? A good rule of thumb is the more pure something is, the healthier it is for you. That means that single-ingredient alcohols, like 100% agave tequila or wine made just from organic grapes (meaning sugar-free or sulfite-free wine  without anything else added) are generally better for you than alcohol that comes from several ingredients. 

The Healthiest Approach to Mixers and Cocktails

So we’ve covered the booze part, but what about the things you add to that booze? If you’re drinking mezcal, which we consider to be the healthiest liquor, does that mean it’s okay to add a sugary margarita mix? As I’m sure you could guess, the answer is no. After all, what you mix with your drink is going in your body too, so it matters just as much.

In general, try to drink your liquor straight, on ice, or mixed with filtered water or seltzer. Cocktails often contain syrups, juices, and other high-calorie, high-sugar, low-nutrient mixers (the average vodka cranberry has 7 ½ teaspoons of sugar!). 

All this added sugar is especially bad in cocktail form, because the sugar makes extra work for your liver, which is already hard at work breaking down the alcohol (think back to the bucket analogy!). Plus, these sweet drinks mask the sharp flavor of alcohol and so they’re very easy to drink — meaning you’ll probably throw back more than you mean to, and more than you would if you were sipping something simpler. 

Unfortunately, those “sugar-free” or “low-cal” flavored seltzers aren’t any better. They likely contain “natural flavors,” a category that includes an estimated 3,000 chemical food additives. The FDA does not require drink manufacturers to disclose what these food additives are, so we try to steer clear of anything that has “natural flavors” listed in the ingredients.

Why Choosing Organic, Sulfite-Free Wine Matters 

We mentioned it briefly above, but wine is such a popular drink and its health implications so nuanced that we’re going to do a deep dive on wine and your health. The number one thing you need to know? Choosing organic wine matters, a lot. 

Think about it: Alcohol already does a number on your body, so you don’t want a whole bunch of extra toxins to deal with when you drink. But with conventionally-grown wine (aka wine grown and produced with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers), that’s just what you’re getting. 

First of all, the primary ingredient in wine is grapes, and grapes are #6 on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of produce with the highest loads of pesticide residue. This is pretty scary, since pesticides have been linked to a long list of health issues, including allergies, brain and nervous system toxicity, cancer, and hormone disruption — not to mention the 10,000-20,000 farm workers who may be poisoned by pesticides each year. After all, pesticides are meant to kill living beings (the “pests”), so it shouldn’t be surprising that they also do harm to humans. 

Synthetic fertilizers, for their part, leach from the grape growing fields into waterways, where they wreak havoc. Excessive nitrogen from the fertilizers can lead to elevated toxins and bacterial growth in the water, which can then make us sick through tainted fish or contaminated water. Fertilizers also contain nitrate, and excess nitrate in water has been linked to a higher risk for thyroid, bladder, and ovarian cancers. So while this doesn’t have implications for the health of people who drink the wine, it has negative health effects on countless others in the area.

Most conventional wines also contain added sulfites. Sulfites, which are a chemical compound made up of sulfur and oxygen, are essentially a preservative, as they can help prevent oxidization and thus let wine stay on the shelf longer. But health-wise, they have their own consequences: they can irritate the respiratory tract and cause an allergic reaction for some people (especially those with asthma), and can cause headaches and trigger or worsen migraines. They’ve also been associated with hives, stomach pain, and diarrhea. While you can find sulfite-free wines that aren’t organic, all organic wines are required to contain no added sulfites (a small level of sulfites are naturally present due to the fermentation process). 

Your liver has to work hard to filter out the alcohol from your blood — why also make it filter out chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and sulfite preservatives? When you give your liver too much to filter, it takes away from its other vital functions: making bile to digest food, storing energy and nutrients, and manufacturing hormones, proteins, and enzymes that your body uses to function and ward off disease. 

Choosing organic wine gives your liver less work to do, which means it will filter the wine better, which, you guessed it, means you won’t feel as bad and your body will be better off in the long and short term..

What Is Organic Wine?

If you’re going to drink wine, choosing organic wine is the simplest way to avoid all of the health consequences we outlined above. By looking for wine that carries a USDA Organic label, you can be confident that you’re staying away from unwanted toxins.

Let’s look at exactly what that label means. The USDA regulates organic wine made and sold in the United States, and any wine bearing the USDA Organic label must be:

• Made with organic grapes grown without synthetic fertilizers.
• Produced without genetic engineering or prohibited substances, such as synthetic pesticides.
• Made with certified organic agricultural ingredients.
• Certified sulfite-free wine (naturally occurring sulfites are okay).

Another phrase you might see on labels is “made with organic grapes.” Wines bearing this label aren’t as healthy as organic wine brands that fit the criteria outlined above, because “made with organic grapes” just prohibits synthetic fertilizers and pesticides from the grape growing process, not production. But still, these wines are definitely better for you than conventional wine.

In terms of taste, don’t worry: you’re not sacrificing any flavor by only going for organic wine brands. In fact, a 2016 analysis of blind taste-test expert ratings of over 74,000 wines showed that eco-certified wines (a designation that includes organic wine, wine made with organic grapes, and biodynamic wine) rated higher than regular wines. 

Choosing the Best Organic Wine

While we’re sold on the benefits of drinking organic wine, unfortunately the rest of the world hasn’t gotten on board yet. That means it’s not always easy to find organic wine brands at the store or at restaurants. Fortunately, there are a number of high-quality, WellBe-endorsed sources where you’re guaranteed to find some of the best organic wine around.

The list below includes stores and organic wineries from which you can directly purchase bottles, as well as organic wine brands you can look for when you head to the wine store: 

• Dry Farm Wines: The only health-focused wine club in the world! All wines are all natural and additive-free, and lab tested for purity. You can sign up for a subscription to receive wines monthly, every other month, or every three months.
• Thrive Market: Thrive Market is an online market selling premium natural, organic products at more affordable prices — and they recently started offering biodynamic, low-sulfite, sustainably farmed organic wine brands.
• Sun Basket: This healthy, organic meal delivery service also offers some of the best organic wine.
• Stoutridge Vineyard: This organic vineyard is owned by Steve Osborn, a biochemist and biodynamic winemaker who we spoke to while creating this video on organic wine. 
• The Organic Wine Company: All wines are GMO-free and made with certified organic grapes. You can purchase directly with no subscription or membership required.
• Cannounau wine from Sardinia, Italy, which is one of the five Blue Zones. Sardinia has 10 times more centenarians per capita than the U.S.!) This wine has two or three times the level of artery-scrubbing flavonoids as other wines.

Even if you can’t get organic wine at your neighborhood wine bar (yet!), we’re confident that by using the sources above, you’ll be able to find the best organic wine out there. 

What About Biodynamic Wine?

When you talk about the best organic wine, you’re bound to hear the word “biodynamic” come up more than once. And even if you haven’t been looking for organic wine, you’ve probably encountered the term: while it can still be tough to find organic wine brands at restaurants or bars, biodynamic wines have become trendy in recent years. So what exactly are biodynamic wines?

The term biodynamic refers to an alternative agricultural approach that’s very similar to organic farming, but also contains various other spiritual, mythical, and mystical elements. One of the main tenets of biodynamic agriculture is the idea that everything is interrelated: the soil, crops, trees, air, animals, and so on are all part of one single system. Some methods of biodynamic agriculture also rely on the lunar or astrological calendars to inform when they plant crops, and others may use more mystical, magical techniques, like burying quartz stuffed into the horn of a cow to harvest “cosmic forces in the soil.”

Mystical elements aside, biodynamic wine is a good choice when it comes to your health, because it adheres to the same rules as organic wine. That means that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used during either the growing or production of the wine, and they’re sulfite-free. Whether you believe in harvesting cosmic forces or not is your call.

How To Remove Sulfites from Wine

As we mentioned, in order to carry the USDA Organic label, a wine can’t contain any added sulfites — but that doesn’t mean that they are completely sulfite-free wines. This is because even organic wine brands have a small amount of naturally occurring sulfites, which generally aren’t a problem for most people. However, those who suffer from asthma or migraines (or those who just want to add an extra layer of purity) might want to know how to remove sulfites from wine. 

The tips below can come in handy if your only choice is conventional wine, or if you want to get rid of naturally occurring sulfites in organic wine.

Either way, if your goal is to drink 100% sulfite-free wine, here are the techniques we recommend:

• Decant your wine. Using a wine decanter is a classic and simple way to lower the sulfite levels. When you pour wine from the bottle to the decanter, it becomes aerated and releases compounds including aromatic elements, alcohol, and sulfites. As soon as the wine is put in the decanter, the evaporation process begins, and sulfites evaporate the fastest.
• Use a special filter. One of the simplest and most popular ways to remove sulfites from wine is with a filter. Our favorite is the Ullo Wine Purifier, which is a small net-like gadget that sits on top of your glass and filters the wine as you pour it in. It has the added bonus of aerating the wine, which also lets more flavors come through.
• Try hydrogen peroxide. In terms of options for how to remove sulfites from wine, this is definitely the most DIY approach. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes sulfites, turning them into hydrogen sulfate, which doesn’t cause any of the problems associated with sulfites. The issue here, however, is that there’s no specified amount to add to your wine, so it’s easy to under- or overdo it — plus it’s pretty easy for the not-exactly-delicious flavor of hydrogen peroxide to come through (not exactly a tasting note we’re looking for!).

The WellBe Takeaway on the Healthiest Alcohol to Drink

While alcohol can have its health risks, drinking is a part of life for many of us. So to lessen the damage of your alcohol consumption, remember these key points:

• Alcohol passes through your stomach and intestines into your bloodstream, and is then metabolized by your liver (80-90%) and kidneys (10-20%) at the rate of one standard drink per hour. 
• If you drink heavily, the negative effects of alcohol can be very serious, including increased risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease, as well as impaired brain function and memory and disrupted sugar levels in your blood.
• While some research points to the health benefits of moderate drinking, more recent evidence suggests that any amount of alcohol is bad. Whether or not your health suffers due to drinking depends largely on what else your body is dealing with. If you’re otherwise healthy, your body will be able to effectively process the toxin (yes, alcohol is a toxin). If you’re dealing with chronic health issues or high toxic load, however, any amount of alcohol will likely have a negative effect. 
• Reason, type/quality, frequency and amount of alcohol you drink all play a role in how it will impact your health. 
• In general, brown liquors contain more harmful compounds (tannins, additives, and other substances that leach from barrels during fermentation) than clear liquors.
• When drinking clear liquor, mezcal or 100% agave tequila are some of the healthiest choices. If you drink vodka, seek out a gluten-free brand.
• While beer has some vitamins and minerals, it also has a very high calorie content and contains a lot of gluten, which can be difficult to digest.
• Choose one-ingredient items (ie, just grapes in wine, just agave in tequila, etc). This prevents you from drinking additives like pesticides, fertilizers, or dyes.
• Skip cocktails and go for your liquor straight, over ice, or with water or seltzer. The added sugar in cocktails puts more strain on your body. 
• No matter what alcohol you choose, always buy organic if you can. Organic wine in particular is having a moment, and it’s the best choice if you drink wine. Conventionally grown wine contains pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which pollute our groundwater and can cause health issues like hormone disruption, allergies, brain and nervous system toxicity, and cancer.
• To avoid unwanted toxins, choose organic wine brands that carry the USDA Organic label. This ensures they meet a number of health standards, including only using grapes and other ingredients that were grown organically and not adding any preservatives.
• When looking for the best organic wine, you might also see wine that doesn’t have the USDA Organic label but does say “made with organic grapes.” While these wines don’t meet all the standards of organic wine brands, they’re still better than conventional wine.
• Biodynamic wine refers to wine that adheres to the principles of organic farming, but also takes into account the lunar and astrological calendar as well as various mystical and spiritual principles.
• Conventionally produced wine contains added sulfites, which can be associated with respiratory irritation and headaches, and even organic wine has naturally occurring sulfites. This small amount of sulfites generally doesn’t cause problems for most people, but there are products and techniques you can use at home to make sure your wine is completely free of sulfites.

Do you drink? Share why or why not in the comments below!

You can also listen to this guide on The WellBe Podcast.

 

Citations: 

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3. Golan, R., et al. Wine and Health–New Evidence. Eur J Clin Nutr 72 (Suppl 1), 55–59 (2019). 
4. Abu-Amero KK, Kondkar AA, Chalam KV. Resveratrol and Ophthalmic Diseases. Nutrients. 2016 Apr 5;8(4):200. 
5. Elizabeth R. De Oliveira e Silva et al. Alcohol Consumption Raises HDL Cholesterol Levels by Increasing the Transport Rate of Apolipoproteins A-I and A-. American Heart Association Journal. 7 Nov 2000.