Four Optimal Guidelines for Drinking Alcohol
There are many considerations regarding alcohol consumption. Below are explanations for the optimal types, timing, quantity, and side dishes.
Optimal Type
Alcohols include baijiu (distilled spirits), beer, and fruit wine. From a health perspective, red wine—specifically a type of fruit wine—is superior. French people suffer fewer heart diseases partly due to this. Researchers note red wine contains a plant pigment. This substance acts as both an antioxidant and platelet inhibitor, protecting vascular elasticity and ensuring blood flow, thus preventing cardiac ischemia. Regular red wine consumption can reduce heart disease risk by half.
Optimal Timing
Drinking after 2 PM daily is safer. In the morning, the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the stomach has low concentration, so alcohol is absorbed more readily than in the afternoon, leading to higher blood alcohol levels. This causes greater harm to the liver and brain. Avoid drinking on an empty stomach, before bedtime, during illness, or when emotionally agitated—especially baijiu—to prevent cardiovascular damage.
Optimal Quantity
The human liver metabolizes approximately 1 gram of alcohol per kilogram of body weight daily. A 60 kg person should limit daily alcohol intake to below 60 grams. Those under 60 kg should reduce further, ideally to around 45 grams. Converted to standard alcoholic beverages: 50 grams of 60° baijiu, 1 liter of beer, or 250 ml of whisky. Although red wine benefits health, it should not be overconsumed—2 to 3 glasses per day is optimal.
Optimal Side Dishes
Drinking on an empty stomach harms health. Choosing ideal side dishes satisfies taste buds and reduces alcohol’s negative effects. Based on alcohol metabolism, the best side dishes are high-protein and vitamin-rich foods. Examples include fresh vegetables, fish, lean meat, legumes, and eggs. Avoid salty fish, sausages, and cured meats—these smoked/cured foods contain large amounts of pigments and nitrosamines, which react with alcohol, damaging the liver and oral/esophageal mucosa, potentially triggering cancer.