america on friday Surgeon General Vivek Murti proposed major changes Regarding labeling of alcoholic beverages in the United States: Given that alcohol is the leading cause of preventable cancer, alcohol should also carry tobacco-style warnings, similar to labeling. Ireland It is expected to be rolled out later this year. This has put increased attention on alcohol ahead of an update to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans expected later this year, but it’s not clear whether new labels should be expected. Adding the label would require Congressional action.
But drinkers are already taking action of their own. If the bars are looking a little empty this month, it might be because more people are trading happy hour for Dry January. The tradition of abstaining from alcohol for a month is gaining popularity.
According to data from public opinion research organization Civic Science, 1 in 4 people The number of U.S. adults who completed Dry January in 2024 increased from 16 percent the previous year. and estimate 15.5 million Alcohol Change UK, the charity supporting the campaign, said people in the UK, where the movement started 12 years ago, said they planned to take part again this year. In 2013, that number was just 4,000. Occasional drinking is contagious; the study Squeeze out a bottle for a month and you’ll see immediate health benefits. But it remains unclear whether the health benefits will last or reach those who need it most.
Gautam Mehta, associate professor of hepatology at University College London, says: “I don’t think there’s any evidence for the concept that you can prepare for the rest of the year with a month of detox or spring cleaning.” He studied the effects of one month of abstinence. “But people seem to have a better understanding of their relationship with alcohol and what they want to do with it for the rest of the year.”
2018 study Mehta’s study followed a group of moderate drinkers who stopped drinking for a month and compared them to a control group who continued with their old habits. The most notable benefits for non-drinkers were better sleep and weight loss. They also experienced more subtle effects. Their blood pressure decreased and their insulin resistance biomarkers improved. This is an indicator of a reduced risk of developing diabetes.
Some people also find that quitting drinking for a month can help reduce their overall intake. In 2019, researchers at the University of Sussex investigation It was filled with thousands of people. The results showed that 59% of respondents said they drank less alcohol six months after Dry January, and 32% said their physical health improved. However, only about 38 percent of those who started the study followed up after six months.
Still, just taking a short break doesn’t necessarily give your body time to fully recover from the effects of drinking. That’s what two British doctors, who are also identical twins, demonstrated when they performed their own surgeries. experiment (Metta provided expertise on this experiment, which was aired as an episode on the BBC) horizon.) They each had been sober for a month, and tests showed that their livers were exactly the same and healthy. They then drank 21 units of alcohol a week for one month, the recommended amount for men in the UK at the time (later revised downward to 14 units). There were differences in the way they carried out their work. One person drank 3 units (about 1 large glass of wine) every day for a month, and the other drank only once a week, but finished all 21 units. At the end of the month, both had increased liver inflammation. In the case of the binge-eating twins, it was clear that even six days of rest between binge-eating episodes was not enough time for the organs to fully heal.
