Here’s What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Beer Every Day
Beer is one of the oldest and most popular drinks in the world. It’s refreshing, and having a cold one after a long day can feel like a good way to relax. But what happens when drinking beer becomes a daily habit? It’s important to look at how this affects your body because the results can be both good and bad, depending on how much you drink and how often.
Drinking Beer Every Day Can Have Some Benefits, But Only in Small Amounts
When you drink beer in moderation, it can have some positive effects on your body. Scientific evidence suggests that moderation means up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. If you stick to these limits, there are a few benefits:
- Heart Health: Research shows that drinking a little beer may help lower the risk of heart disease. Beer contains antioxidants called polyphenols that can help your heart by reducing inflammation and improving cholesterol levels.
- Stronger Bones: Beer, especially types that have more silicon, may help keep your bones strong. Silicon is a mineral that helps build and maintain bones. Some studies show that people who drink beer in moderation may have better bone density, especially older adults.
- Better Digestion: Beer, particularly unfiltered types, has natural fiber that might help your digestion. Fiber helps keep your digestive system working well and supports healthy gut bacteria.
However, these benefits only come with strict moderation. Drinking too much can quickly outweigh any positives.
Drinking Beer Every Day Can Lead to Weight Gain
Beer has calories, and if you drink it every day, those calories add up. Most beers have about 150 calories in a 12-ounce serving. If you drink more than one, it can lead to weight gain over time.
The term “beer belly” is real. Drinking too much beer can cause weight gain, especially around your stomach. This is because alcohol has empty calories, meaning it gives you energy but no important nutrients. When your body processes alcohol, it uses those calories first, and any extra food you eat is more likely to be stored as fat.
Daily Beer Drinking Is Hard on Your Liver
Your liver processes alcohol, and drinking beer every day puts a lot of stress on it. Over time, this can potentially lead to fatty liver disease, which happens when too much fat builds up in the liver. If this continues, it can turn into more serious liver problems like alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis causes severe scarring of the liver, which can lead to liver failure. While the liver is tough and can recover from damage, drinking every day doesn’t give it much of a break, leading to serious long-term damage.
Drinking Beer Every Day Can Affect Your Mental Health
While having a beer might help you feel relaxed at first, drinking every day can increase your chances of anxiety and depression over time. This happens because alcohol changes the chemicals in your brain that control how you feel.
Also, regular drinking can lead to alcohol dependency. This means you might start relying on beer to handle stress or bad feelings, which can make anxiety and depression worse. It creates a cycle where you feel like you need to drink just to feel normal.
Drinking Beer Every Day Can Hurt Your Sleep Quality
Many people think beer helps them sleep better, but research says otherwise. While beer might help you fall asleep faster because of its calming effects, it actually hurts the quality of sleep you get. Alcohol affects the REM stage of sleep, which is important for feeling rested. Drinking beer every day can leave you feeling tired and groggy in the morning.
Plus, alcohol makes you go to the bathroom more often. Drinking beer before bed could mean more trips to the bathroom during the night, which makes your sleep even worse. Sleep experts recommend avoiding any alcohol at least 3 hours before bed.
Daily Beer Drinking Can Weaken Your Immune System
Drinking beer every day can make your immune system weaker, which makes it harder for your body to fight off infections. Studies have shown that regular drinking lowers the number of white blood cells, which help fight bacteria and viruses. This means you’re more likely to get sick, whether it’s a cold, the flu, or something more serious.
Your immune system works best with rest and good nutrition. Drinking beer every day doesn’t just add calories and stress to your liver; it also weakens your overall immunity, making you more likely to get sick.
Drinking Beer Daily Can Raise Your Blood Pressure
Alcohol has a direct effect on your blood pressure. Drinking beer every day can lead to high blood pressure, also called hypertension. When alcohol enters your body, it makes the blood vessels widen, which might lower blood pressure at first. But as the alcohol wears off, your body can overreact, causing blood pressure to go up.
If you keep drinking a lot over time, it can lead to high blood pressure that doesn’t go away, which can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. If you already have high blood pressure, it’s even more important not to drink beer every day.
Drinking Beer Every Day Can Increase Your Cancer Risk
Drinking beer every day can increase your chances of getting certain types of cancer. The American Cancer Society says that alcohol is a carcinogen, which means it can cause cancer. Regular beer drinking may increase your risk of cancers like mouth, throat, liver, colon, and breast cancer.
This happens because alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde, a harmful chemical that can damage DNA and stop your body from fixing itself. Even drinking in moderation can increase cancer risk, but drinking every day makes the risk much higher.
Drinking Beer Daily Can Affect Your Skin
Alcohol dehydrates your body, and that includes your skin. Drinking beer every day can make your skin dry and dull and even cause broken blood vessels on your face. Alcohol causes inflammation and makes blood vessels widen, which can lead to visible damage over time.
Some people also get rosacea flare-ups or more acne when they drink often. Even though beer seems harmless, drinking it daily can change how your skin looks, making you look older.
Should You Stop Drinking Beer Every Day?
If you cut back or stop drinking beer every day, you can see a lot of health improvements. You might lose weight, sleep better, feel less anxious, and lower your risk of serious health issues like heart disease, liver damage, and high blood pressure. Your skin may also start to look healthier, and you might get sick less often.
Changing drinking habits isn’t always easy. If you think you might be dependent on alcohol, it’s important to get help. Talking to a doctor or a counselor can help you make a plan to reduce or quit drinking in a way that’s safe for you.
The Bottom Line on Drinking Beer Every Day
Drinking beer every day might seem harmless, but the possible health problems are real. While moderate beer drinking can have some benefits, daily drinking has risks that can affect your whole body—your liver, brain, heart, immune system, and even your skin.
If you like beer, try to drink it in moderation and make sure it doesn’t turn into a daily habit.
One Last Thing: Get Help If You Need It
If you or someone you care about is having trouble with alcohol, there are many ways to get help. Talk to your doctor about how to cut back, and think about joining a support group for help. Your health is important—so take care of it.