ALCOHOL AND MENOPAUSE: A good cocktail? [Part One]
Does alcohol seem to be affecting you differently lately?
Does it leave you feeling anxious or just plain ‘yucky’?
Does it upset your stomach more than it used to?
While some women say they feel some short-term relief from stress by drinking alcohol, many believe their perimenopausal symptoms are negatively affected by drinking.
This is common, and there is research to show that alcohol and perimenopause symptoms don’t make for the greatest cocktail.
On top of the impact on your menopausal symptoms, there is a ton of conflicting opinions and information on alcohol and health in general.
In this part one of two articles, we will cover everything you need to know from the benefits of alcohol to why you may want to consider alternatives - particularly in menopause.
Let’s get to the good stuff.
DOES ALCOHOL AFFECT WOMEN’S BODIES DIFFERENTLY?
The short answer is, yes (boooo!). Statistically speaking, men drink more in volume and in frequency than women, men are also at risk of being more excessive drinkers. Despite this, women are more susceptible to the longer-term negative effects of alcohol. (1)
This is in part because, even though women tend to be smaller than men, which would intuitively mean that women can drink less alcohol and feel more effects, we also have less body water because of our differences in body fat.
What this means is that there is a higher concentration of alcohol in a woman’s blood after drinking. Our organs are affected more because of this higher concentration of alcohol. (2)
IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND MENOPAUSE?
The tricky thing with nutrition research is that very often you can't be certain you’re studying just one thing. After all, humans need to eat and so knowing exactly what causes or doesn’t cause certain outcomes is hard.
In the research looking at alcohol and its effect on menopause, there are conflicting results on whether alcohol delays the onset of menopause or causes an earlier age of menopause due to the negative effects of alcohol on the ovaries. Other studies show that low to moderate alcohol consumption might influence estrogen to rise in the body, and therefore, may delay the age of menopause. (3)
Ultimately, the research is still out on if alcohol intake really affects the age of menopause but what we do know is that the average age is around 51 and genetics, race, diet and even socioeconomic situations can make a difference. (3)
In a nutshell, drinking alcohol may affect menopausal women more in terms of their health.
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THE LONG-TERM RISKS
Breast cancer
Studies show that even low consumption of alcohol is modestly related to breast cancer risk. By modest drinking, we mean 3-6 glasses of red wine per week. (4)
For every 10 grams of alcohol a day, the risk of cancer increases by 10%. Women who have 3-4 drinks per day have nearly 50% increased risk of breast cancer.
A little note here, a glass of wine has around 11 grams of alcohol. (5)
Depression
Evidence strongly links heavy drinking with depression, and with menopause symptoms, it can be easy to feel low sometimes. Ensure you aim for low-moderate amounts of alcohol when you drink. (4)
Sleep disturbances
Because of the hot flashes and night sweats, getting a good night's sleep can be hard. Many women say that alcohol makes it easier to get to sleep but it can actually cause disruptions in later stages of sleep. (4)
In order to get good quality sleep, you need to complete all four stages of sleep. But since alcohol makes you sleepy, it can put you in a deep sleep and prevent you from getting into the last stage, REM sleep. That’s why you can wake up without feeling rested. (6)
Weight gain
Women tend to gain weight during and after menopause and although some of this is related to the aging process, it is also related to hormones.
Heavy drinking is associated with additional weight gain during menopause. Light to moderate drinking is unlikely to cause additional weight gain during the menopause (4).
Do bear in mind that people often forget that alcoholic drinks can contain quite a few calories. If you are trying to manage your weight, do be mindful of how much you’re drinking.
Bone health
Drinking heavily can negatively affect bone health because of alcohol’s interaction with calcium and vitamin D (5).
If you drank a lot prior to perimenopause it’s worth speaking to your doctor about your bone health as long-term heavy drinking can also impact the menstrual cycle, which in turn can affect estrogen levels.
Estrogen levels are important for bone health as they are bone-protective. The rate of bone breakdown speeds up when estrogen declines.
WHERE TO GO IF YOU NEED HELP
If you are struggling with the amount of alcohol you are drinking and need help here are some resources that can help to support you.
ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS OF ALCOHOL?
With all the negatives of drinking alcohol, it’s worth noting there are some potential benefits of light to moderate drinking.
Let’s start by looking at what the definitions are for light, moderate and heavy drinking:
Keep in mind, the guidelines are different for men and women, we are giving you the guides for women.
Light drinking: Even less than moderate drinking
Moderate drinking: 1 alcoholic drink or less per day
Heavy drinking: 3 drinks on any day or 7 drinks in a week
Binge drinking: 4 or more drinks in 2 hours (7)
Type 2 diabetes
Light to moderate drinking may decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol has been related to an increase in insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone that helps the sugar in our blood re-locate to muscles and organs to be used for energy. When the sensitivity of insulin is higher, we are less prone to developing diabetes.(4)
Heart Disease
There are multiple studies that show moderate drinking can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary heart disease. But the science is still out on whether the alcohol itself makes the difference or if there are other factors involved. (4)
Hot Flashes
A few studies it was shown that limited amounts of alcohol might be linked with fewer hot flashes in middle-aged women. However, the reason is not well understood.
Infrequent, small amounts of alcohol may benefit you if you’re experiencing hot flashes however some studies have shown that any amount of alcohol is unhelpful.
If you do drink alcohol, the best way to know is by keeping track of your symptoms with a food/drink-symptom diary.(8)
WHAT ABOUT HRT AND ALCOHOL?
As you may or may not know, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used by menopausal women to alleviate unpleasant symptoms, potentially protect bone, brain and heart health as well as dramatically increase the quality of life.
HRTs provide estrogen and/or progesterone to our bodies as these hormones drop significantly in the menopause.
Fun fact about HRT: did you know that drinking more than 2 units of alcohol per day increases the risk of having breast cancer more than taking HRT? (10)
Different HRTs can have some side effects such as nausea, headache and anxiety. Alcohol consumed, even in moderate amounts, can amplify those effects so be mindful with your drinking if you are having challenges.
OTHER MEDICINES THAT CAN INTERACT WITH ALCOHOL
It’s worth noting that if you are taking other medications to manage your conditions, you should be extra careful about mixing them with alcohol.
Some over-the-counter medications, even some herbal remedies can interact with alcohol dangerously.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guide for alcohol and medicine interactions. If you take medicines, you can check them here.
IN SUMMARy
In summary, it’s extra important that during the menopause years, you keep your drinking of alcohol to low-moderate amounts. Alcohol will affect women differently but can impact sleep, bone health, anxiety, hot flashes, HRT side effects and more.
Heavy drinking is not recommended during any point in life but alcohol’s effect on depression is of particular concern during perimenopause.
Remember that light to moderate drinking is one drink per day or less.
If you’re having trouble reducing your drinking and need support do book an appointment with your GP/doctor, they can provide you with sound advice and signpost you to support in your local area.
Looking for more support? Grab my Digestive Issues in Perimenopause (and beyond) Workshop. Put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your gut and “get your life back”.