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Those of you who are opting for a dry January (a group that excludes me, I must admit) may be cheered to learn that there is now some medical support for doing so...
In October last year, 14 healthy New Scientist journalists - "normal" drinkers - took part in a little experiment. They were all weighed, answered questionnaires about their health and drinking habits, had ultrasound scans to measure the amount of fat on their livers and provided blood samples for analysis. Ten members of the group then gave up alcohol completely for five weeks, while the four others maintained their normal consumption patterns.
The results (which can be read here) were quite dramatic. The abstainers saw a consistent fall (of 15%) in their liver fat, a near-5% drop in their cholesterol and a 23% drop in their blood glucose levels. They also averaged weight losses over the month of 1.5kg. The lower blood glucose figures (which indicate a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes) were apparently the most striking of the experiment. Kevin Moore, consultant in liver health services at University College London Medical School (UCLMS) says that he was "staggered" by them and that he didn't think anyone had observed these kinds of results before.
The numbers of participants in this study was limited and there is no evidence of how long the positive effects lasted once they gave up their temporary abstinence, but it's food for thought. And, as Nick Theron of the same university said, "if you can persuade a bunch of journalists to have a month off the booze there is really no excuse for anyone not to be able to do the same thing, is there?"
I think he's talking about me...
