What are the surprising health benefits of drinking whiskey? It comes down to moderation. Hard to believe, but even a little bit of alcohol in moderation can be good for you.
Assuming you are of legal drinking age, whiskey can be a great drink if you want to optimize your health while enjoying a fitness-friendly alcoholic beverage.
In this post, we are going to discuss 8 surprising health benefits of drinking whiskey.
What is Whiskey?
Whiskey is a form of liquor made from fermented grains such as barley, corn, rye, and wheat. The grain used to make the whiskey depends on the whiskey brand. Whiskey is generally aged in wooden containers made of charred white oak.
Some of the most popular brands of whiskey includes:
- Jack Daniels
- Crown Royale
- Jameson
- Jim Beam
- Fireball
- Marker’s Mark
If you’re a fan of ordering old fashioneds at the bar, one of these brands of whiskey was most likely used to make them.
1. Drinking Whiskey Can Promote Fat Loss
Whiskey is a low-calorie, low-carb, no-fat beverage. It’s one of the few alcoholic drinks that makes it easy to sustain a caloric deficit if your goal is fat loss.
Drinks like tequila sunrises, sex on the beaches, rum and cokes, and long-island ice teas don’t work as well for fat loss because they are too high in calories and very easy to binge drink.
You can go out and binge a 1,000 plus calories of rum and coke or tequila sunrises because there is no point of satiety when drinking them.
However, if you go out with friends and have 1 or 2 old fashioneds made with some high-quality whiskey, you would be satiated for the caloric value you would get. It’s hard to binge high quality whiskey. You would be drinking it slowly.
If you are interested in reading more about fat loss science, check out this article How to Scientifically Lose Fat and Build Muscle.
2. Whiskey Contains Plenty of Antioxidants
The antioxidant properties in whiskey are quite high. It contains polyphenols, which are plant-based antioxidants that can reduce your risk of heart disease. Whiskey is also high in ellagic acid, which is an important antioxidant used to kill free radicals in the body associated with cancer.
3. Whiskey Can Kill Bacteria
Whiskey has been shown to be the only liquor that can kill all forms of bacteria that lives on bar ice. A 2017 research study was published in the Annals of Microbiology that studied the number of bacteria found on bar ice.
Evidently, there are over 52 different strains of bacteria and over 30 species of bacteria that live on bar ice.
The researchers tested the four most common strains of bacteria against alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages. The results showed that whiskey was the only beverage that was able to eliminate all 4 strains of bacteria.
It’s commonly believed that alcohol in general kills bacteria, whether it’s vodka, tequila, or beer. This is true to a degree, but these forms of alcohol are not nearly as acidic or as low on the PH scale as whiskey.
4. Whiskey Can Help Fight the Common Cold
Unfortunately, there is no way of curing the common cold, but you can treat it with a bit of whiskey. A remedy often used in the United Kingdom to treat the common cold is a hot toddy. This is a tea-like beverage that consists of:
- Whiskey
- Lemon Juice
- Honey
- Hot Water
Research suggests that whiskey can dilate the blood vessels and help the body fight off the cold virus. The combination of the ellagic acid from whiskey, the vitamin C from lemon juice, and some additional antioxidants from honey makes hot toddies a powerful remedy for minimizing cold symptoms.
If you have a cold, it’s best to take this kind of remedy at night before bed. You shouldn’t consume hot toddies in the day when you are working.
5. Whiskey Can Aid in Digestion
Whiskey can improve digestion after a large meal. It’s a high-proof liquor so it can raise stomach enzymes and speed up the digestive process. It’s also a good remedy if that large dinner meal makes:
- Your stomach upset
- You feel nauseous.
- You feel lazy because you are trying to digest the meal.
Indigestion or feelings of laziness is not uncommon after consuming a big dinner. It’s best to sooth the stomach with a small glass of whiskey afterwards.
6. Whiskey Can Increase Good Cholesterol Levels
Several research studies have shown that light-moderate whiskey consumption can increase levels of HDL or “good cholesterol” in the body. HDL cholesterol is important for reducing your risk of:
- Heart Disease
- Heart Attack
- Stroke
It is commonly believed that all cholesterol is bad, but that is not true. We need some degree of cholesterol to support cellular, hormonal, and metabolic health.
7. Whiskey May lower Mortality
A study was done by the Research Society on Alcoholism that found moderate whiskey drinkers had lower levels of mortality in comparison to heavy alcohol drinkers and non-alcohol drinkers.
The oldest person in Great Britian lived to be 112-years old. In interviews, she credited her long-life to having a glass of malt whiskey every night since she was in her 50s. She didn’t drink any other alcohol.
Her name was Grace Jones, also known as “Amazing Grace”. She passed away in 2019.
8. Drinking Whiskey Can Promote Better Sleep
There are sedative properties in whiskey that can help you sleep at night. If you are often stressed or suffering from anxiety, then a moderate amount of whiskey at night can calm you, de-stress you, and promote better sleep quality.
How the Benefits Whiskey Compares to Red Wine
Red wine is hailed around the world as the healthiest alcoholic beverage, but based on scientific literature, whiskey can give red wine a run for its money.
Whiskey is lower in sugar and calories compared to red wine. If you had to choose between the two on a fat loss program, whiskey would be the better decision. Whiskey is also 5x higher in ellagic acid, which helps your body better fight viruses and bacteria.
We addressed ellagic acid earlier in the article.
One thing red wine does have over whiskey is its lower alcohol content. If you don’t like strong alcoholic drinks, but still want significant health benefits, then red wine would be a better decision for you.
How Many Glasses of Whiskey a Day is Safe to Consume?
You can drink whiskey every day if you want to as long as you’re not overdoing it. According to the Center of Disease Control or the CDC, Men that choose to drink daily should have no more than 2 alcoholic drinks. Women that choose to drink daily should have no more than 1 alcoholic drink.
Conclusion
What whiskey can do for you is truly underrated. It can assist with
- Fat loss
- Providing antioxidants
- Killing bacteria
- Fighting the common cold
- Digestion
- Raising good cholesterol levels
- Longevity
- Falling asleep at night
Drinking whiskey in moderation can’t be stressed enough. You never want to drink too much or drink to intoxication. Binge drinking whiskey or any alcohol is where you run into health problems.
If you want to have a glass or 2 of whiskey every day, it’s not going to destroy your health or hinder your fitness goals.
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