Alcohol and Inflammation: What I Learned From My Personal Experiment

The best way to figure out how your body responds to changes in your lifestyle is to conduct an experiment and monitor results.  This is exactly how I reversed the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis and regained vitality again. It’s sometimes called n=1, meaning that the number of “samples” in the study is one.  

One person … YOU. 

I’ve read many articles citing studies that drinking red wine in moderation can have a slight anti-inflammatory effect. The studies hypothesized that this may be because of the resveratrol (a natural anti-inflammatory) in the skin of red grapes, or it could be because people who have pain are less likely to drink large amounts of alcohol [1].

YAY!  Have some wine!  It’s good for you … or is it?  

I knew wine is a toxin (too much and you get intoxicated, right?).  Wine is a concentrated liquid and, like sugar, it can be addictive. 

I had switched to organic red wines which was an improvement, but I felt the call of the wine.  Not that I drank a lot, mind you. One or two glasses at most.  

But it was becoming a habit, with the justification in my mind that “it’s an anti-inflammatory. It’s GOOD for me.”

However, I didn’t like the feeling of “needing” a glass of wine at the end of the day.  And what were the toxins doing to me anyway?  

Plus, alcohol can contribute to leaky gut and a whole host of health problems like fatty liver, pancreatic problems and disregulation of the immune system.  Was this really best for me? I also knew alcohol can have a negative effect on hormones, metabolism and sleep [2]. 

What really mattered anyway was how did it affect ME? So, I decided to conduct my own little n=1 experiment.  

I stopped drinking alcohol for about 35 days. Initially this wasn’t an experiment: I just wanted to see if I could get out of the “wine to relax” habit. It actually wasn’t too hard.  The biggest challenge is social situations but those are less frequent these days with COVID restrictions.  

But with family gathering for the holidays, I decided to have some wine again and notice any changes. I drank one or two glasses of red wine each evening for about 10 days.  Over that period of time I noticed four discernible changes, either measured by my Oura ring or anecdotally.  I absolutely love my Oura ring.  (BTW I am not affiliated in any way with the company but I think this Oura ring is fantastic!)

Here are some observations I made:

1. Sleep. My total sleep time and sleep efficiency dropped. I woke up more during the night, sometimes for long periods. Now, there may have been other factors involved but when I looked at my overall “Sleep Score” on a weekly basis, there was a small dip in week 52. Below left is a screen shot of the Oura ring app.

2. Night sweats and hot flashes. Waking up at night with the sheets soaking wet is so yucky! I thought those days were gone but it happened again several nights during my experiment with reintroducing wine again. I also noticed more hot flashes.

3. Joint pain. I generally am pain-free unless some stress or a food triggers a flare. During this time I had a major flare with joint pain for a couple of days. Maybe it was the alcohol, but it also could have been some of the out-of-the-norm treats I had over the holidays. It could have been the combined effect of both.

4. Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Heart rate variability is the number one indicator of health and longevity. The Oura ring calculates HRV and I could see that there was a VERY noticeable dip in my weekly HRV for the time that I was drinking wine again in weeks 52 and 1. Below is a screen shot of my weekly HRV scores.

All of these effects are signs of inflammation.  Looking at my personal experiment of the effects of alcohol and inflammation, I can see a direct correlation. Consumption of alcohol, even in small amounts led to an increase in inflammation. 

For me, the lowered HRV was the change that was most significant and impactful.  I shared my HRV results on my Jane Hogan Health Instagram account and one of my followers said her husband has noticed the same effect on HRV when he drinks alcohol.  Interesting, right? 

Now I am back to having no alcohol again.  I don’t know how long I am going to do this.  I may go the whole year or maybe even longer. I love feeling better!

What do you think? Does this inspire you to do your own little n=1 experiment?  Why not give it a try and see what happens.  There’s nothing to lose and only information to gain!  I’d love to hear what you find out. 

References

1. Maxwell JR, Gowers IR, Moore DJ, Wilson AG. Alcohol consumption is inversely associated with risk and severity of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2010 Nov;49(11):2140-6.

2. Rachdaoui N, Sarkar DK. Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2013;42(3):593-615.

A great way to feel more peaceful is with heart-focused breathing - so simple, yet effective!  I have a great free resource for you to implement TODAY to help you feel more relaxed and calm.  It’s an MP3 audio file you can download to guide you through 3 minutes of heart focused breathing. Click on the image below to receive it.