how to migitage the negative health effects of drinking, pt. 3 or so


So beyond the don't-take-tylenol bit I covered before, before we can understand how to minimize physiological damage to the body through drinking, we need to know exactly how alcohol affects the body. That's a big list, and the research is nowhere near complete - in fact there's a medical journal of peer-reviewed research regarding alcohol published quarterly.

In any case I'll try to distill (ha!) it down to the most important components - the ones which can most effectively keep you from fucking up your liver and/or feeling like shit the next day.


1. Dehydration (duh)
Alcohol's a potent diuretic, with its effects lasting well after the last drink is consumed - in some cases until the next day. This one's easily remedied - unless what you're drinking is less than about 3% alcohol, have water between drinks, and more before bed (if you'd consider yourself drunk when you go to bed, it'd be a good idea to have at least two large glasses).

2. Congeners.
During the fermentation process, yeast is primarily working to produce ethanol, but depending on yeast strain, fermentation temperatures, and substance being fermented (e.g., grape juice, malt, etc.), various other alcohols and compounds may be produced, though usually in much smaller amounts than ethanol. These may include:
- isopropanol (primary component of rubbing alcohol)
- propanol
- butanol
- amyl alcohol
- furfural
- methyl alcohol (wood alcohol)

While I wasn't able to find research on the metabolization process for each of these (as they're rarely present in more than trace amounts in most diets), methyl alcohol is particularly notable, as it is commonly known to cause blindness on its own (though ethanol counteracts that effect at concentrations commonly found in most commercial alcoholic beverages).

Long story short, we know enough about the way the body handles various alcohols to say that if they're not damaging on their own, the metabolization byproducts are particularly harmful. (Another prime example - ethylene glycol, or antifreeze, is not particularly toxic itself, but its primary metabolization product causes severe kidney damage). And while I haven't found sufficient research to support the following, I would speculate that these compounds can and do significantly contribute to what we call a hangover - in many cases more than the ethanol itself.

Solution:
Drink "clean" alcohol. Whiskey (all kinds), brandy/cognac, dark rum, aged tequila, most liqeurs, red wine, most ales, dark beer, etc. should be consumed as little as possible - no more than 1-2 drinks in a night. Clear, "clean" tasting lagers, blanco tequila, white wines, sake, or light rum are not so bad, but should not be consumed in excess.

The best vodka and gin is distilled to a high degree of purity, stripping out these unwanted compounts (which in most cases also contribute to off flavors and "burn" or spiciness).

A few recommendations:
vodka:
russian white gold (the bottle looks cheap, but it's exceptionally good)
russian standard platinum (hard to find - don't confuse with the non-platinum version)
dripping springs (amazing, though hard to find outside of texas & neighboring states)
tito's
chopin
shakers
belvedere
vikingfjord

gin:
tanqueray 10 (in the octagonal bottle - the regular stuff is mediocre)
miller's
hendrick's
plymouth
quintessential/Q
bombay sapphire (not the cleanest, but usually easiest to find)


2. Acetaldehyde.
(to be continued)
- posted by vcmc @  12/26/2008 01:34:00 PM