You know exercise builds muscles, strengthens bones, keeps your heart healthy and your mind sharp. But it also does something that you might not think much about: It helps keep your immune system — your internal defenses against infection — in tip-top shape.
If you take time for some physical exertion each day, it helps get your body ready to attack bacteria, viruses and toxins that can sneak in and make you sick.
But how much exercise is effective? Do too little or too much, and it won’t have the best effect on your immune system.
Clinical immunologist Leonard Calabrese, DO, answers common questions about how exercise can impact your immunity and how to use your workouts to shut out a world of would-be invaders.
Q: How does breaking a sweat boost immunity?
A: If you exercise moderately on a regular basis, it tunes up the immune system in many ways. It enhances your broad-based defenses against viral infections, such as those causing upper respiratory infections.
Working out regularly also reduces the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory illnesses and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Q: How much exercise do you need?
A: Fortunately, you don’t have to push yourself to the limit to rev up your immune system. In fact, your immune system needs less of a workout than you get with your average cardio routine.
Focus on getting 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week, and your immune system will thank you.
Q: What types of exercise are most helpful?
A: Moderate exercises, including biking or walking briskly in your neighborhood, are good ways to get your blood flowing. Swimming is also a good option for non-weight-bearing exercise for your joints.
Also try mind-body exercises such as Tai-Chi, Qi Gong and yoga, which are all options that help keep your joints flexible. These exercises also reduce chronic stress, which in itself is a powerful immune booster. These exercises can also help alleviate osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia symptoms.
Q: Can too much exercise set your immune system back?
A: Yes, though, the level to which it can slow your system down is still up for debate.
Research shows that exercising for more than 1.5 hours without refueling your body or giving it enough time to recover suppresses your immune responses for up to a few days. During that time, your cortisol levels rise, your white blood cell count drops and you’re more likely to develop a respiratory infection.
This problem usually affects elite athletes, such as marathon runners, most.
On the flip side, staying sedentary also increases your risk of infection, inflammation and chronic disease.
Q: Can exercise make an illness worse?
A: Yes, it can. This is a complex issue, but I like to tell my patients to do a “neck check.” If your symptoms are mostly of a mild cold without fever or lower respiratory symptoms, such as a productive cough, wheezing or shortness of breath, mild exercise can actually reduce congestion and may make you feel better.
If your symptoms are primarily in your lungs or you have a significant fever its better to rest until things settle down. Regardless, good hydration is important.
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body? 9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
Alcohol affects your whole body, from your liver and immune system to your brain and mental health
You probably already know that excessive drinking can affect you in more ways than one.
There are the empty calories that can lead to weight gain. There’s the potential for injury and regrettable choices. And don’t forget about the hangovers of course.
Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer.
And that’s on top of the toll that alcohol use can take on relationships, not to mention the potential for financial strain and legal troubles.
But even moderate alcohol use changes the way your body functions.
We talked with hepatologist Shreya Sengupta, MD, about how alcohol use affects your body and your emotional health.
“Some people think of the effects of alcohol as only something to be worried about if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, which was formerly called alcoholism,” Dr. Sengupta says.
“But when you consider how alcohol is metabolized and used by your body, we can start to see that even moderate and social drinking affects our health to some degree.”
Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body.
Liver
Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation. When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide.
But when you ingest too much alcohol for your liver to process in a timely manner, a buildup of toxic substances begins to take a toll on your liver.
If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs.
“When your liver is overwhelmed by oxidizing alcohol, it generates molecules that inhibit fat oxidation,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “The fats build up. Over time, it can lead to a condition known as steatotic liver disease.”
Steatotic liver disease used to go by the name fatty liver disease.
Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. That’s about one shot glass worth.
With continued alcohol use, steatotic liver disease can lead to liver fibrosis. Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis.
“The good news is that earlier stages of steatotic liver disease are usually completely reversible in about four to six weeks if you abstain from drinking alcohol,” Dr. Sengupta assures.
Cirrhosis, on the other hand, is irreversible and can lead to liver failure and liver cancer, even if you abstain from alcohol.
Metabolism
You probably are keenly aware of the so-called “beer belly.” That’s shorthand for a round midsection that some people associate with drinking too much beer.
In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat.
But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. Even for people who aren’t particularly heavy drinkers.
“Drinking gives your body work to do that keeps it from going about its other processes,” Dr. Sengupta notes. “Alcohol distracts your system from its regularly scheduled duties, including things like metabolizing carbohydrates and fats.”
Once you take a drink, your body makes metabolizing alcohol a priority — above processing anything else.
That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. But there isn’t a storage tank for alcohol. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work.
That allows excess calories from the foods you eat to sit around, leading to weight gain.
Gut health
Your gut microbiome is a hotbed of bacteria that help keep your digestive system happy and healthy. The trillions of microbes in your colon and large and small intestines are critical to proper digestion. They also help fend off inflammation and support healthy metabolism.
When you drink too much alcohol, it can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut.
“Alcohol can kill the good bacteria that live in your gut, allowing bad bacteria to grow unchecked,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “That can lead to problems with digestion, inflammation and even organ damage.”
Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut. But even low amounts of daily drinking and prolonged and heavy use of alcohol can lead to significant problems for your digestive system.
There are a few studies that associate red wine with improved heart health in lab tests. But no research proves that red wine causes any improvements in heart health in people.
“The reality is that alcohol causes more health troubles than it could ever help,” Dr. Sengupta reinforces. “And that goes for your heart, as well as the rest of your body.”
Pancreas
Your pancreas helps your body digest food and manage your blood sugar. Drinking alcohol changes how your pancreas works.
“Your pancreas secretes fluids. Alcohol use can thicken those fluids, which can clog the ducts that those fluids flow out of,” Dr. Sengupta explains.
Like a clog in a drain, those thickened fluids can jam up your ducts. That can lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.
Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days. But prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to chronic (long-term) pancreatitis, which can be severe.
Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors.
Alcohol use has been shown to raise your risk for several kinds of cancer. That includes cancers of the:
Mouth.
Esophagus.
Throat.
Liver.
Breast.
Colon and rectum.
Immune system
If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink. That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system and make your body more susceptible to infection.
“We see lower levels of a specific kind of white blood cells called lymphocytes in people who drink heavily for long periods of time,” Dr. Sengupta reports. “That can leave them more vulnerable to infectious diseases.”
Brain
The morning after a night of over-imbibing can cause some temporary effects on your brain. Things like trouble concentration, slow reflexes and sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds are standard signs of a hangover, and evidence of alcohol’s effects on your brain.
Long-term alcohol use can change your brain’s wiring in much more significant ways. Ways that your standard hangover cures won’t even begin to touch.
“Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns.
Mental health
Alcohol is a depressant. And prolonged alcohol use can lead to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Chronic misuse can also lead to paranoia and hallucinations.
Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes. Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health.
“Alcohol tends to cause more problems than it solves for a lot of people,” Dr. Sengupta emphasizes. “If drinking is affecting your health, your relationships, your work, your finances, it’s time to make some serious changes.”
If you need more guidance to quit drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a hotline, 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1.800.662.HELP (4357).
Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and nonjudgmentally discuss alcohol issues with others who have alcohol use disorder.
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body? 9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
Alcohol affects your whole body, from your liver and immune system to your brain and mental health
You probably already know that excessive drinking can affect you in more ways than one.
There are the empty calories that can lead to weight gain. There’s the potential for injury and regrettable choices. And don’t forget about the hangovers of course.
Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer.
And that’s on top of the toll that alcohol use can take on relationships, not to mention the potential for financial strain and legal troubles.
But even moderate alcohol use changes the way your body functions.
We talked with hepatologist Shreya Sengupta, MD, about how alcohol use affects your body and your emotional health.
“Some people think of the effects of alcohol as only something to be worried about if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, which was formerly called alcoholism,” Dr. Sengupta says.
“But when you consider how alcohol is metabolized and used by your body, we can start to see that even moderate and social drinking affects our health to some degree.”
Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body.
Liver
Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation. When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide.
But when you ingest too much alcohol for your liver to process in a timely manner, a buildup of toxic substances begins to take a toll on your liver.
If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs.
“When your liver is overwhelmed by oxidizing alcohol, it generates molecules that inhibit fat oxidation,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “The fats build up. Over time, it can lead to a condition known as steatotic liver disease.”
Steatotic liver disease used to go by the name fatty liver disease.
Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. That’s about one shot glass worth.
With continued alcohol use, steatotic liver disease can lead to liver fibrosis. Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis.
“The good news is that earlier stages of steatotic liver disease are usually completely reversible in about four to six weeks if you abstain from drinking alcohol,” Dr. Sengupta assures.
Cirrhosis, on the other hand, is irreversible and can lead to liver failure and liver cancer, even if you abstain from alcohol.
Metabolism
You probably are keenly aware of the so-called “beer belly.” That’s shorthand for a round midsection that some people associate with drinking too much beer.
In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat.
But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. Even for people who aren’t particularly heavy drinkers.
“Drinking gives your body work to do that keeps it from going about its other processes,” Dr. Sengupta notes. “Alcohol distracts your system from its regularly scheduled duties, including things like metabolizing carbohydrates and fats.”
Once you take a drink, your body makes metabolizing alcohol a priority — above processing anything else.
That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. But there isn’t a storage tank for alcohol. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work.
That allows excess calories from the foods you eat to sit around, leading to weight gain.
Gut health
Your gut microbiome is a hotbed of bacteria that help keep your digestive system happy and healthy. The trillions of microbes in your colon and large and small intestines are critical to proper digestion. They also help fend off inflammation and support healthy metabolism.
When you drink too much alcohol, it can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut.
“Alcohol can kill the good bacteria that live in your gut, allowing bad bacteria to grow unchecked,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “That can lead to problems with digestion, inflammation and even organ damage.”
Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut. But even low amounts of daily drinking and prolonged and heavy use of alcohol can lead to significant problems for your digestive system.
There are a few studies that associate red wine with improved heart health in lab tests. But no research proves that red wine causes any improvements in heart health in people.
“The reality is that alcohol causes more health troubles than it could ever help,” Dr. Sengupta reinforces. “And that goes for your heart, as well as the rest of your body.”
Pancreas
Your pancreas helps your body digest food and manage your blood sugar. Drinking alcohol changes how your pancreas works.
“Your pancreas secretes fluids. Alcohol use can thicken those fluids, which can clog the ducts that those fluids flow out of,” Dr. Sengupta explains.
Like a clog in a drain, those thickened fluids can jam up your ducts. That can lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.
Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days. But prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to chronic (long-term) pancreatitis, which can be severe.
Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors.
Alcohol use has been shown to raise your risk for several kinds of cancer. That includes cancers of the:
Mouth.
Esophagus.
Throat.
Liver.
Breast.
Colon and rectum.
Immune system
If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink. That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system and make your body more susceptible to infection.
“We see lower levels of a specific kind of white blood cells called lymphocytes in people who drink heavily for long periods of time,” Dr. Sengupta reports. “That can leave them more vulnerable to infectious diseases.”
Brain
The morning after a night of over-imbibing can cause some temporary effects on your brain. Things like trouble concentration, slow reflexes and sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds are standard signs of a hangover, and evidence of alcohol’s effects on your brain.
Long-term alcohol use can change your brain’s wiring in much more significant ways. Ways that your standard hangover cures won’t even begin to touch.
“Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns.
Mental health
Alcohol is a depressant. And prolonged alcohol use can lead to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Chronic misuse can also lead to paranoia and hallucinations.
Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes. Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health.
“Alcohol tends to cause more problems than it solves for a lot of people,” Dr. Sengupta emphasizes. “If drinking is affecting your health, your relationships, your work, your finances, it’s time to make some serious changes.”
If you need more guidance to quit drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a hotline, 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1.800.662.HELP (4357).
Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and nonjudgmentally discuss alcohol issues with others who have alcohol use disorder.
You know exercise builds muscles, strengthens bones, keeps your heart healthy and your mind sharp. But it also does something that you might not think much about: It helps keep your immune system — your internal defenses against infection — in tip-top shape.
If you take time for some physical exertion each day, it helps get your body ready to attack bacteria, viruses and toxins that can sneak in and make you sick.
But how much exercise is effective? Do too little or too much, and it won’t have the best effect on your immune system.
Clinical immunologist Leonard Calabrese, DO, answers common questions about how exercise can impact your immunity and how to use your workouts to shut out a world of would-be invaders.
Q: How does breaking a sweat boost immunity?
A: If you exercise moderately on a regular basis, it tunes up the immune system in many ways. It enhances your broad-based defenses against viral infections, such as those causing upper respiratory infections.
Working out regularly also reduces the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory illnesses and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Q: How much exercise do you need?
A: Fortunately, you don’t have to push yourself to the limit to rev up your immune system. In fact, your immune system needs less of a workout than you get with your average cardio routine.
Focus on getting 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week, and your immune system will thank you.
Q: What types of exercise are most helpful?
A: Moderate exercises, including biking or walking briskly in your neighborhood, are good ways to get your blood flowing. Swimming is also a good option for non-weight-bearing exercise for your joints.
Also try mind-body exercises such as Tai-Chi, Qi Gong and yoga, which are all options that help keep your joints flexible. These exercises also reduce chronic stress, which in itself is a powerful immune booster. These exercises can also help alleviate osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia symptoms.
Q: Can too much exercise set your immune system back?
A: Yes, though, the level to which it can slow your system down is still up for debate.
Research shows that exercising for more than 1.5 hours without refueling your body or giving it enough time to recover suppresses your immune responses for up to a few days. During that time, your cortisol levels rise, your white blood cell count drops and you’re more likely to develop a respiratory infection.
This problem usually affects elite athletes, such as marathon runners, most.
On the flip side, staying sedentary also increases your risk of infection, inflammation and chronic disease.
Q: Can exercise make an illness worse?
A: Yes, it can. This is a complex issue, but I like to tell my patients to do a “neck check.” If your symptoms are mostly of a mild cold without fever or lower respiratory symptoms, such as a productive cough, wheezing or shortness of breath, mild exercise can actually reduce congestion and may make you feel better.
If your symptoms are primarily in your lungs or you have a significant fever its better to rest until things settle down. Regardless, good hydration is important.
If you’re looking for relief from coronavirus symptoms, take paracetamol rather than ibuprofen, and avoid non-evidence-based treatments being promoted on social media, health experts recommend.
Australian doctors typically treat patients with a fever – one of the key symptoms of COVID-19 – with the painkiller paracetamol, often sold as Panadol.
Paracetamol provides quick relief from symptoms and is relatively safe.
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body? 9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
Alcohol affects your whole body, from your liver and immune system to your brain and mental health
You probably already know that excessive drinking can affect you in more ways than one.
There are the empty calories that can lead to weight gain. There’s the potential for injury and regrettable choices. And don’t forget about the hangovers of course.
Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer.
And that’s on top of the toll that alcohol use can take on relationships, not to mention the potential for financial strain and legal troubles.
But even moderate alcohol use changes the way your body functions.
We talked with hepatologist Shreya Sengupta, MD, about how alcohol use affects your body and your emotional health.
“Some people think of the effects of alcohol as only something to be worried about if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, which was formerly called alcoholism,” Dr. Sengupta says.
“But when you consider how alcohol is metabolized and used by your body, we can start to see that even moderate and social drinking affects our health to some degree.”
Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body.
Liver
Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation. When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide.
But when you ingest too much alcohol for your liver to process in a timely manner, a buildup of toxic substances begins to take a toll on your liver.
If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs.
“When your liver is overwhelmed by oxidizing alcohol, it generates molecules that inhibit fat oxidation,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “The fats build up. Over time, it can lead to a condition known as steatotic liver disease.”
Steatotic liver disease used to go by the name fatty liver disease.
Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. That’s about one shot glass worth.
With continued alcohol use, steatotic liver disease can lead to liver fibrosis. Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis.
“The good news is that earlier stages of steatotic liver disease are usually completely reversible in about four to six weeks if you abstain from drinking alcohol,” Dr. Sengupta assures.
Cirrhosis, on the other hand, is irreversible and can lead to liver failure and liver cancer, even if you abstain from alcohol.
Metabolism
You probably are keenly aware of the so-called “beer belly.” That’s shorthand for a round midsection that some people associate with drinking too much beer.
In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat.
But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. Even for people who aren’t particularly heavy drinkers.
“Drinking gives your body work to do that keeps it from going about its other processes,” Dr. Sengupta notes. “Alcohol distracts your system from its regularly scheduled duties, including things like metabolizing carbohydrates and fats.”
Once you take a drink, your body makes metabolizing alcohol a priority — above processing anything else.
That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. But there isn’t a storage tank for alcohol. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work.
That allows excess calories from the foods you eat to sit around, leading to weight gain.
Gut health
Your gut microbiome is a hotbed of bacteria that help keep your digestive system happy and healthy. The trillions of microbes in your colon and large and small intestines are critical to proper digestion. They also help fend off inflammation and support healthy metabolism.
When you drink too much alcohol, it can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut.
“Alcohol can kill the good bacteria that live in your gut, allowing bad bacteria to grow unchecked,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “That can lead to problems with digestion, inflammation and even organ damage.”
Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut. But even low amounts of daily drinking and prolonged and heavy use of alcohol can lead to significant problems for your digestive system.
There are a few studies that associate red wine with improved heart health in lab tests. But no research proves that red wine causes any improvements in heart health in people.
“The reality is that alcohol causes more health troubles than it could ever help,” Dr. Sengupta reinforces. “And that goes for your heart, as well as the rest of your body.”
Pancreas
Your pancreas helps your body digest food and manage your blood sugar. Drinking alcohol changes how your pancreas works.
“Your pancreas secretes fluids. Alcohol use can thicken those fluids, which can clog the ducts that those fluids flow out of,” Dr. Sengupta explains.
Like a clog in a drain, those thickened fluids can jam up your ducts. That can lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.
Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days. But prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to chronic (long-term) pancreatitis, which can be severe.
Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors.
Alcohol use has been shown to raise your risk for several kinds of cancer. That includes cancers of the:
Mouth.
Esophagus.
Throat.
Liver.
Breast.
Colon and rectum.
Immune system
If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink. That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system and make your body more susceptible to infection.
“We see lower levels of a specific kind of white blood cells called lymphocytes in people who drink heavily for long periods of time,” Dr. Sengupta reports. “That can leave them more vulnerable to infectious diseases.”
Brain
The morning after a night of over-imbibing can cause some temporary effects on your brain. Things like trouble concentration, slow reflexes and sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds are standard signs of a hangover, and evidence of alcohol’s effects on your brain.
Long-term alcohol use can change your brain’s wiring in much more significant ways. Ways that your standard hangover cures won’t even begin to touch.
“Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns.
Mental health
Alcohol is a depressant. And prolonged alcohol use can lead to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Chronic misuse can also lead to paranoia and hallucinations.
Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes. Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health.
“Alcohol tends to cause more problems than it solves for a lot of people,” Dr. Sengupta emphasizes. “If drinking is affecting your health, your relationships, your work, your finances, it’s time to make some serious changes.”
If you need more guidance to quit drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a hotline, 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1.800.662.HELP (4357).
Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and nonjudgmentally discuss alcohol issues with others who have alcohol use disorder.
Stay hearty and healthy no matter how cold it gets
Skies are gray, clouds are lowering and the temperature is dropping. And with the changing weather usually comes a transition in food, from the lighter fare of summer to more hearty winter meals.
But what’s the best way to make the switch and stay healthy? Should you really switch up your diet that much? And what’s the best way to adapt your meal planning during the coronavirus pandemic so you don’t have to leave your house as much for grocery runs?
To figure out the best way to approach your winter meal planning, we talked to registered dietitian Lisa Burnett, RD, about some important tips and tricks to getting through the long, cold season with your nutrition intact.
The most important nutrients
You’ve probably heard a lot about the need to up your vitamin D intake, especially during the winter. That’s because vitamin D not only is essential to muscle and bone health, deficiency in vitamin D has also been linked to decreased immunity and fatigue. And it’s harder to keep your vitamin D up in winter.
“We’re supposed to get most of our vitamin D from sunlight but there’s less sunlight in winter, especially in certain regions,” says Burnett. Certain foods like fortified dairy products and cold-water fish (like salmon and tuna) are good sources of vitamin D.
The bottom line, she says, is getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. And it’s important to remember that even if the seasons change, your body still needs the same maintenance.
“While your tastes may change, your needs don’t change a lot in terms of the vitamins and nutrients you need,” she notes. “It’s always important to eat well and keep eating fruits and vegetables to get those vitamins and minerals.”
Packing in those nutrients
Other nutrients Burnett suggests getting in your regular cold season diet as it’s better for your body to absorb these through digestion than through supplements.
“Vitamin C can boost your immunity so it’s a great thing to include however if you’re getting two-to-three servings of fruit and three-plus servings of vegetables each day, you should be able to get adequate amount of vitamin C,” she says.
And getting those vegetables doesn’t mean you have to eat a huge serving, either. Generally, a half-cup is good.
Bell peppers are a good veggie source for vitamin C, Burnett says. And for fruits, the reliable citrus fruits are good sources as are cranberries, which are more in-season, especially during the holidays.
When the season gets colder and drier, many people complain of dry, itchy and flakey skin. vitamin E can reduce inflammation and can help skin health and if you’re keeping that fruit-and-veggie intake up, you should get plenty of that, too.
B vitamins are also important, she says, as they’re antioxidants and influence your energy and brain functions. “Your dark, leafy greens are good sources for those vitamins as are legumes, like beans and lentils,” she adds.
Speaking of tastes changing with the seasons, colder weather often brings on a wave of heartier, heavier foods. But, while these meals may be beloved cold-weather traditions, Burnett says to beware of starches.
Hearty versus healthy
“Winter squashes are considered vegetables, but, nutritionally, they look a lot more like starches,” she points out. “They do have vitamins and minerals but they also have a lot of carbohydrates.”
One way to moderate that intake, she says, is to make sure you include another vegetable into your meal plan instead of another starch. “For instance, if you’re eating chicken with butternut squash, have a salad on the side instead of bread or potatoes. That helps keeps down the starch portion of your plate.
Soups
Soups are very popular in winter for a variety of reasons: they’re easy to make, they warm you up in the cold, they can keep in your freezer or fridge and they offer a wide range of flavors and combinations.
But one thing you should be wary of, Burnett says, is sodium. “That high sodium content is always a fear with soups. If you check the labels of a lot of popular store-bought soups or soups you can buy at restaurants, they have those high sodium levels.”
Instead, she says, consider making your own soups. Not only can you make your own flavor combinations but you can ensure they’re healthier options. And when it comes to bases, she also suggests choosing broth over cream.
“In cream-based soups, you’ll have those saturated fats from whatever dairy was used to make that cream base,” she says. “A great idea is to use low-sodium broth and use real, fresh ingredients.”
One more advantage of soup? A welcomed versatility in a time of social isolation.
Long-term meals
Because of the ongoing pandemic, it’s best to minimize trips to the grocery store (to protect yourself) and minimize those grocery delivery orders (to protect workers). That makes long-term meal planning and meal freezing an overlooked yet key step to staying safe and nutritious this winter.
And that’s where soups can be a big help. Says Burnett, “Soups are great to freeze so they last a long period of time. You can always pair it with a salad or, if it’s a lean protein-based soup, it could be a whole meal by itself. That’s also true of stews, too, as long as you stick healthy, fresh ingredients.”
Burnett says that batch-cooking – cooking many meals in one batch – is a big plus for the winter. “You can make several plates of three or four meals, free them and then work through them over the course of a few weeks,” she says.
She adds that crockpots are a good way to prepare those batch-cooked meals. “With a crockpot, you not only can cook large portions to break up over time but you can also get in everything you need, from proteins to your vegetables with necessary nutrients and minerals.”
The one thing to keep an eye on, besides ingredients, is portion size, she adds. “Certain comfort foods, like lasagna, do well with freezing and keeping for a while. You just need to be aware of portion size and what other vegetables and food options you’re cycling in to go with it.”
Fruits and veggies: fresh, canned or frozen?
Fresh fruits and veggies are always the best options if you can swing it. But certain items may be out of season depending on the time of year. Or maybe you’re looking to minimize trips to the grocery store or get certain produce in bulk.
In that case, you’re faced with a decision: canned or frozen?
According to Burnett, go with frozen. “Frozen vegetables and fruit have come a long way. Steamer bags make it much easier and have helped improve the quality. And nutrient-wise, those frozen options are fairly comparable to the fresh options.”
With the canned options, you run into issues like higher sodium in canned vegetables and higher sugars in the syrup with canned fruits. “There are some options that are healthier, like low sodium canned vegetables,” she says, “but you’ll just need to keep an eye on the nutrition labels and looked for those added sugars and salt.”FACEBOOKTWITTERLINKEDINPINTERESTEmailmeal plannutrientsvitamin cvitamin D
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Stay hearty and healthy no matter how cold it gets
Skies are gray, clouds are lowering and the temperature is dropping. And with the changing weather usually comes a transition in food, from the lighter fare of summer to more hearty winter meals.
But what’s the best way to make the switch and stay healthy? Should you really switch up your diet that much? And what’s the best way to adapt your meal planning during the coronavirus pandemic so you don’t have to leave your house as much for grocery runs?
To figure out the best way to approach your winter meal planning, we talked to registered dietitian Lisa Burnett, RD, about some important tips and tricks to getting through the long, cold season with your nutrition intact.
The most important nutrients
You’ve probably heard a lot about the need to up your vitamin D intake, especially during the winter. That’s because vitamin D not only is essential to muscle and bone health, deficiency in vitamin D has also been linked to decreased immunity and fatigue. And it’s harder to keep your vitamin D up in winter.
“We’re supposed to get most of our vitamin D from sunlight but there’s less sunlight in winter, especially in certain regions,” says Burnett. Certain foods like fortified dairy products and cold-water fish (like salmon and tuna) are good sources of vitamin D.
The bottom line, she says, is getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. And it’s important to remember that even if the seasons change, your body still needs the same maintenance.
“While your tastes may change, your needs don’t change a lot in terms of the vitamins and nutrients you need,” she notes. “It’s always important to eat well and keep eating fruits and vegetables to get those vitamins and minerals.”
Packing in those nutrients
Other nutrients Burnett suggests getting in your regular cold season diet as it’s better for your body to absorb these through digestion than through supplements.
“Vitamin C can boost your immunity so it’s a great thing to include however if you’re getting two-to-three servings of fruit and three-plus servings of vegetables each day, you should be able to get adequate amount of vitamin C,” she says.
And getting those vegetables doesn’t mean you have to eat a huge serving, either. Generally, a half-cup is good.
Bell peppers are a good veggie source for vitamin C, Burnett says. And for fruits, the reliable citrus fruits are good sources as are cranberries, which are more in-season, especially during the holidays.
When the season gets colder and drier, many people complain of dry, itchy and flakey skin. vitamin E can reduce inflammation and can help skin health and if you’re keeping that fruit-and-veggie intake up, you should get plenty of that, too.
B vitamins are also important, she says, as they’re antioxidants and influence your energy and brain functions. “Your dark, leafy greens are good sources for those vitamins as are legumes, like beans and lentils,” she adds.
Speaking of tastes changing with the seasons, colder weather often brings on a wave of heartier, heavier foods. But, while these meals may be beloved cold-weather traditions, Burnett says to beware of starches.
Hearty versus healthy
“Winter squashes are considered vegetables, but, nutritionally, they look a lot more like starches,” she points out. “They do have vitamins and minerals but they also have a lot of carbohydrates.”
One way to moderate that intake, she says, is to make sure you include another vegetable into your meal plan instead of another starch. “For instance, if you’re eating chicken with butternut squash, have a salad on the side instead of bread or potatoes. That helps keeps down the starch portion of your plate.
Soups
Soups are very popular in winter for a variety of reasons: they’re easy to make, they warm you up in the cold, they can keep in your freezer or fridge and they offer a wide range of flavors and combinations.
But one thing you should be wary of, Burnett says, is sodium. “That high sodium content is always a fear with soups. If you check the labels of a lot of popular store-bought soups or soups you can buy at restaurants, they have those high sodium levels.”
Instead, she says, consider making your own soups. Not only can you make your own flavor combinations but you can ensure they’re healthier options. And when it comes to bases, she also suggests choosing broth over cream.
“In cream-based soups, you’ll have those saturated fats from whatever dairy was used to make that cream base,” she says. “A great idea is to use low-sodium broth and use real, fresh ingredients.”
One more advantage of soup? A welcomed versatility in a time of social isolation.
Long-term meals
Because of the ongoing pandemic, it’s best to minimize trips to the grocery store (to protect yourself) and minimize those grocery delivery orders (to protect workers). That makes long-term meal planning and meal freezing an overlooked yet key step to staying safe and nutritious this winter.
And that’s where soups can be a big help. Says Burnett, “Soups are great to freeze so they last a long period of time. You can always pair it with a salad or, if it’s a lean protein-based soup, it could be a whole meal by itself. That’s also true of stews, too, as long as you stick healthy, fresh ingredients.”
Burnett says that batch-cooking – cooking many meals in one batch – is a big plus for the winter. “You can make several plates of three or four meals, free them and then work through them over the course of a few weeks,” she says.
She adds that crockpots are a good way to prepare those batch-cooked meals. “With a crockpot, you not only can cook large portions to break up over time but you can also get in everything you need, from proteins to your vegetables with necessary nutrients and minerals.”
The one thing to keep an eye on, besides ingredients, is portion size, she adds. “Certain comfort foods, like lasagna, do well with freezing and keeping for a while. You just need to be aware of portion size and what other vegetables and food options you’re cycling in to go with it.”
Fruits and veggies: fresh, canned or frozen?
Fresh fruits and veggies are always the best options if you can swing it. But certain items may be out of season depending on the time of year. Or maybe you’re looking to minimize trips to the grocery store or get certain produce in bulk.
In that case, you’re faced with a decision: canned or frozen?
According to Burnett, go with frozen. “Frozen vegetables and fruit have come a long way. Steamer bags make it much easier and have helped improve the quality. And nutrient-wise, those frozen options are fairly comparable to the fresh options.”
With the canned options, you run into issues like higher sodium in canned vegetables and higher sugars in the syrup with canned fruits. “There are some options that are healthier, like low sodium canned vegetables,” she says, “but you’ll just need to keep an eye on the nutrition labels and looked for those added sugars and salt.”FACEBOOKTWITTERLINKEDINPINTERESTEmailmeal plannutrientsvitamin cvitamin D
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
You know exercise builds muscles, strengthens bones, keeps your heart healthy and your mind sharp. But it also does something that you might not think much about: It helps keep your immune system — your internal defenses against infection — in tip-top shape.
If you take time for some physical exertion each day, it helps get your body ready to attack bacteria, viruses and toxins that can sneak in and make you sick.
But how much exercise is effective? Do too little or too much, and it won’t have the best effect on your immune system.
Clinical immunologist Leonard Calabrese, DO, answers common questions about how exercise can impact your immunity and how to use your workouts to shut out a world of would-be invaders.
Q: How does breaking a sweat boost immunity?
A: If you exercise moderately on a regular basis, it tunes up the immune system in many ways. It enhances your broad-based defenses against viral infections, such as those causing upper respiratory infections.
Working out regularly also reduces the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory illnesses and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Q: How much exercise do you need?
A: Fortunately, you don’t have to push yourself to the limit to rev up your immune system. In fact, your immune system needs less of a workout than you get with your average cardio routine.
Focus on getting 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week, and your immune system will thank you.
Q: What types of exercise are most helpful?
A: Moderate exercises, including biking or walking briskly in your neighborhood, are good ways to get your blood flowing. Swimming is also a good option for non-weight-bearing exercise for your joints.
Also try mind-body exercises such as Tai-Chi, Qi Gong and yoga, which are all options that help keep your joints flexible. These exercises also reduce chronic stress, which in itself is a powerful immune booster. These exercises can also help alleviate osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia symptoms.
Q: Can too much exercise set your immune system back?
A: Yes, though, the level to which it can slow your system down is still up for debate.
Research shows that exercising for more than 1.5 hours without refueling your body or giving it enough time to recover suppresses your immune responses for up to a few days. During that time, your cortisol levels rise, your white blood cell count drops and you’re more likely to develop a respiratory infection.
This problem usually affects elite athletes, such as marathon runners, most.
On the flip side, staying sedentary also increases your risk of infection, inflammation and chronic disease.
Q: Can exercise make an illness worse?
A: Yes, it can. This is a complex issue, but I like to tell my patients to do a “neck check.” If your symptoms are mostly of a mild cold without fever or lower respiratory symptoms, such as a productive cough, wheezing or shortness of breath, mild exercise can actually reduce congestion and may make you feel better.
If your symptoms are primarily in your lungs or you have a significant fever its better to rest until things settle down. Regardless, good hydration is important.
Healthaware 