Share and Follow
Savoring a chilled beer at the end of your day or indulging in a few with friends during the weekend might appear benign, yet consuming beer daily can be quite detrimental. While it serves as a way to relax, especially on warm days, drinking beer each day can severely harm your health. From disturbing sleep patterns to impacting dental health, here are five ways that drinking beer every day may adversely affect your well-being, as per insights from experts interviewed by Eat This, Not That!
Weakens Your Immune System
Maintaining a robust immune system is crucial for overall health, and daily beer consumption can compromise it. “Regular alcohol intake irritates the gut lining and may disturb its delicate microbiome,” states Kara Wada, MD, a Quadruple Board-Certified Physician in Allergy/Immunology, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Lifestyle Medicine, and Founder of the Immune Confident Institute. She elaborates, “This condition often results in increased intestinal permeability, also known as ‘leaky gut,’ which prompts your immune system to remain on high alert to address the consequences.”
Dr. Wada continues, “Over time, this chronic, low-grade activation means you’ll not only be more susceptible to colds, but it can also result in aggravated allergies, skin conditions like eczema, a reduced metabolic rate, and even intensify autoimmune conditions.”
Disrupts Your Sleep
Sleep is a vital part of our mental and physical health, but consuming beer on a daily basis disrupts our sleeping habits.
“It’s the classic trap: we have a drink to relax, and sure, it can make us drowsy,” explains Dr. Wada. “But alcohol actually disrupts your natural sleep patterns and suppresses REM sleep, which is crucial for emotional regulation and memory. You’re essentially trading an hour of relaxation for a full night of poor recovery, leaving you feeling foggy and off the next day.”
Bad Teeth
Beer and oral health are connected, but it’s not something most of us think about. However, according to Dr. Sandip Sachar, a New York City dentist, drinking beer too often can lead to bad teeth. “Beer contains fermentable carbohydrates that feed plaque-causing bacteria in the mouth– leading to tooth decay,” Dr. Sachar says. In addition, “Daily beer intake in moderate quantities can also contribute to Xerostomia (or Dry Mouth),” she explains. “It affects the salivary glands and can impair their ability to produce saliva efficiently.”According to Dr. Sachar, “Saliva is your body’s natural defense system for the mouth. It helps to neutralize acids produced by oral bacteria, washes away food debris and sugars, provides minerals (like calcium and phosphate) to repair early enamel damage and lubricates tissues, preventing irritation and infections.” She adds, “With less saliva to wash away acids and food particles, plaque builds up more quickly, increasing the risk of tooth decay— even if you brush and floss regularly. Brushing cannot fully compensate for the constant protective role of saliva.”
Causes Weight Gain
The term beer belly is around for a reason–drinking too much beer causes weight gain. “When you drink alcohol, you’re knowingly exposing your body to a toxin, and your system prioritizes metabolizing it above all else,” says Dr. Wada. “This process can lead to the accumulation of visceral fat (a.k.a. belly fat), the dangerous type that surrounds your organs and fuels inflammation. Over time, this can drive conditions like fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.”
Increased Risk of Cancer
Cancer rates are on the rise, especially in younger adults and one way to reduce the risk is scaling back on alcohol. “Alcohol is linked to seven different cancers and can cause metabolic disruptions throughout the body,” says Dr. Brooke Scheller, Dr. of Clinical Nutrition, author of How to Eat to Change How You Drink and Founder of Functional Sobriety. “Whether you’re a daily drinker or consume in moderation, the liver prioritizes the metabolism of alcohol over all other functions.”
Heather Newgen
