Thread by @zoosenator

This is how Alcohol destroys your health. (+ How to avoid hangovers)

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Huberman Lab has 1.3m subs on YouTube

He just released a 2-hour podcast about alcohol and what it does to your body:

1. Decreases Testosterone
2. Increases Cancer Risk
3. Wrecks your Gut Health
4. Increases Stress levels
5. Disrupts your brain cells & structure

1. Decreases Testosterone

• Alcohol increases aromatase

• This increases the conversion of Testosterone to Estrogen

Looking to Max your Testosterone?

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2. Increases the risk of Cancer

•Studies showed up to a 13% increase per drink per day

•Alcohol causes changes in gene expression which increases tumor growth.

•There is also downregulation of anti-inflammatory molecules

•These molecules should have helped to suppress the proliferation of cancers but now they cannot do their job anymore

•You can use the following supplements to decrease this cancer risk:
♦ Vitamin B12 &
♦ Folate

3. Wrecks your Gut Health

In 2 ways:

1. It kills the good bacteria
2. Causes leaky gut (disruption of gut lining). This allows bad bacteria to escape into the bloodstream

•Inflammatory Cytokines are also released during the conversion process from ethanol to acetate

•These inflammatory Cytokines' disrupts neural circuits which regulate alcohol intake - causing you to crave more alcohol.

Talk about a vicious cycle!

4. Increases stress levels

• Alcohol changes the relationship in the HPA axis (Brain, glands and adrenals)

• This causes your adrenals to release more cortisol

• Due to higher cortisol, you will experience more stress

5. "Being drunk" is poison-induced disruption of brain cells

•Body cannot process Alcohol so the liver converts it:

•Alcohol - Acetyl Aldehyde - Acetate

• Aldehyde is poisonous to the body and it's the conversion thereof disrupting your brain cells which makes you "drunk"

• Alcohol can pass through the blood-brain barrier

• This is because it is water AND fat-soluble

• This is different from most other substances which tend to attach to the surface of cells only

• This causes a long-term change in brain structure

• If you drink >12 drinks a week your brain will rewire itself in the long term which will lead you to be:

1. More impulsive
2. Unwilling to consider alternatives in any given situation

• I acknowledge that is challenging to abstain completely

• Alcohol is a social lubricant that, if you use it correctly can enhance your experience in certain circumstances.

• Should you want to continue drinking the following will help prevent/reduce hangovers:

A. Before the party:

1. Resistance training
• It improves the glycemic response and increases anti-oxidant activity.

• This reduces alcohol-induced liver damage

2. Up your choline stores
♦ Eggs
♦ Liver
♦Choline Supplement

Your liver will be burning through its choline stores so it can mitigate the damage of drinking

3. A spoonful of extra virgin olive oil.
• This reduces the impact of the alcohol-induced oxidative stress

4. 600mg of NAC & 1g of Vitamin C

•NAC is a precursor to glutathione
•Glutathione is the antioxidant that metabolizes alcohol
•Vitamin C helps NAC supply the glutathione

5. Collagen
•The glycine in collagen reduces lipid peroxidation and antioxidant depletion in the liver

B. During the party:

1. Drink selection - lowest to highest hangover impact:

♦ Beer
♦ Vodka
♦ Gin
♦ White Wine
♦ Whiskey
♦ Rum
♦ Red Wine
♦ Brandy

2. Add mineral drops or some salt to every glass of water you are consuming to match each glass of alcohol

C. The day after the party

1. Eggs/Organ meats for breakfast to top up your choline stores

2. Sweat - a light walk or a sauna session will do wonders to detox

3. Cold exposure

•The increase in Epinephrine helps to clear the alcohol from your body.

4. Fermented Foods/Pro Biotic

•The gut gets hammered while you are getting hammered.

• You want to restore your intestinal flora ASAP after indulging in Alcohol.

I trust this thread was supportive of your quest to be the optimal version of yourself,

If so, follow me @zoosenator for more like this and RT the first tweet of this thread below!