Recently a visitor to this site submitted a question about alcohol consumption and CARB syndrome. It seems that her husband enjoys consuming alcohol beverages mixed with beverages like orange juice and sugary sodas and she has noticed that he seems to have developed many of the classic symptoms of CARB syndrome.
Let’s get right to the heart of the matter. Any type of alcohol in excessive amounts acts as a neurotoxin—it is directly toxic to your nerve cells. Thus the most important thing you need to know about alcohol is that it should be consumed in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is generally defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Of course this depends on the alcohol content of what you are drinking. If you are dealing with a brain disorder like CARB syndrome, you don’t want to be frying your brain with excessive alcohol intake. As a matter of fact, if you have CARB syndrome you probably should avoid consuming any alcohol until your disease is under control.
A Primer on Alcohol.
Alcohol or ethanol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It contains 7 calories per gram and is metabolized by your liver in a similar way that fat is metabolized. Alcohol is produced from sugar by a process of distillation. Pure alcohol does not seem to be a primary driver of CARB syndrome. As you recall, excessive fructose mainly from sugar and HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates mainly from grains seem to be the primary triggers of the disease. Very few people consume pure alcohol and most commonly consumed forms of alcohol do contain variable amounts of sugar. For example the sweetness of a wine reflects its sugar content. Distilled forms of alcohol like gin, vodka and rum are usually consumed with fruit juices or sweetened sodas. Because beer comes from grains, it contains some refined carbohydrates.
Thus many of the commonly consumed forms of alcohol do contain the triggers of CARB syndrome. Ethanol is also a psychoactive substance with some addiction potential. Sugar and high glycemic carbohydrates can also lead to a form of addiction because long-term consumption of these substances can lead to cravings for sweet and starchy foods, the hallmark symptom of CARB syndrome. When you combine alcohol with sugary beverages, you end up with the worst possible combination for your health. Both alcohol and sugar have an adverse effect on brain function so you end up with a double whammy to your brain.
When Alcohol Becomes a Problem.
People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol often end up craving alcohol, a sign of an addictive situation. People who lose control of their alcohol intake are considered to be an alcoholic, a term loaded with negative connotations. If an alcoholic manages to give up alcohol through their own efforts or through organizations like AA, their cravings for alcohol often shift to cravings for sweet and starchy foods. That’s because alcohol cravings and carbohydrate cravings seem to have similar origins in the brain. If you have ever been to an AA meeting, you know what I mean—donuts, candy and similar fare are frequently found in this setting. Because most alcoholics also have CARB syndrome, when they are sober and consume this sweet and starchy food and become moody and irritable, they are called “dry drunks”. This is really just a reflection of their underlying CARB syndrome.
Does Drinking Make You Fat? It depends on the Circumstances.
What about alcohol and weight gain? If you don’t have CARB syndrome, a moderate amount of alcohol won’t contribute to excessive fat storage as long as you are eating healthy diet. That’s because a healthy brain helps your body maintain the right amount of fat over a broad range of caloric intake. If you have CARB syndrome, your brain is in a bear-in-fall fat storage mode where it will push you to store excessive fat at virtually any caloric intake. Thus the 7 calories per gram in alcohol will more likely be stored as fat if your brain isn’t functioning as intended. If you mix your alcohol with fructose loaded beverages like fruit juice or soda, these extra calories will also contribute to fat storage if you have CARB syndrome.
You Don’t Want to Make Your Liver Fat.
Another thing to consider when you mix alcohol with fructose containing beverages like juice or soda, is that both alcohol and fructose are metabolized in a similar manner in your liver. Years ago the most common cause of fatty infiltration of the liver and subsequent cirrhosis (scaring) of the liver was excessive alcohol consumption. Today a form of liver disease called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is much more common than alcoholic liver disease. NAFLD is caused by excess consumption of fructose, mainly from sugar and HFCS. When I admit patients to the hospital they often have abdominal x-rays or ultrasounds and the majority of adults and many children now have NAFLD. Thus if you combine alcohol with sugar and HFCS from any source, you are subjecting your liver to a great deal of stress. NAFLD leads to insulin resistance, the first step toward type II diabetes. You definitely don’t want to go there.
Cut the Cravings.
If you have strong cravings for alcohol or sweet and starchy foods, there are several supplements that can be quite helpful at suppressing these pesky cravings. L-glutamine is a simple amino acid that effectively suppresses alcohol and carbohydrate cravings. It is available in both capsules and powder and it is very safe and inexpensive. I recommend taking 1,000 mg three times daily between meals. The dose can be titrated upward as needed. There is also a supplement called CARB-22 that contains the neurotransmitter precursors that your brain needs to rebuild levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. This supplement is also very effective at suppressing alcohol and carbohydrate cravings.
Based on the above considerations, I have come up with a list of recommendations when it comes to alcohol consumption and health:
Dr. Wilson’s Rules for Alcohol Consumption
- If you have CARB syndrome, don’t consume any alcohol until your disease is under control. There is a lot of information on this site about how to manage this common disease.
- Probably the best form of alcohol to consume is dry, red wine. Red wine has very little sugar and it is also loaded with healthy anti-oxidants. In his latest book “Antifragile”, Nassim Nicholas Taleb states that the only beverages he drinks are water, coffee and red wine. I share his perspective.
- Don’t mix your distilled spirits with fructose containing juices or soda. The exception would be a little lemon juice tinged water.
- Limit you daily intake of alcohol to one drink for females and two drinks for males. Binge drinking is definitely not a good way to go. If you can’t control your alcohol intake, you probably shouldn’t drink any alcohol.
- Don’t drink any alcohol if you eat a diet loaded with sugar, HFCS and grain-based high glycemic carbohydrates, especially if you care about your liver. Clean up your diet before consuming any alcohol.
- Beer should be limited because as my fructose researcher friend Richard Johnson has shown, beer raises uric acid levels and uric acid drives up blood pressure and triggers central fat storage. That’s where the term “beer belly” comes from. For more information I recommend reading his excellent books “The Sugar Fix” and “The Fat Switch”.
- My Paleo friend Robb Wolf recommends what he calls a “Norcal Margarita”. It consists of two shots of tequila, a little soda water and the juice of a whole lime. I agree that this is relatively healthy and safe way to consume alcohol. For more tips on healthy eating and drinking, I recommend reading his book “The Paleo Solution” or Loren Cordain’s book “The Paleo Answer”.
- If you know that you may be drinking a little more alcohol than usual on a special occasion, I recommend taking N-acetyl cysteine 600 mg daily and thiamine 50 mg daily on the days you are consuming alcohol. These supplements will help to protect your liver and your brain.
Alcohol can be your friend or your worst enemy depending on how you integrate it into your life. Hopefully this article gives you a perspective on how to do so in a healthy way. Bottoms up!
Dr. Bill Wilson