PREVIEW Aliquot #59: How alcohol affects sleep, behavior, and cancer risk

Alcohol, one of the most used drugs worldwide, is a controversial subject. Whereas some research suggests drinking alcohol improves health, an abundance of evidence indicates that drinking alcohol also harms health. Particularly, higher alcohol intake is associated with an increased risk of many cancers. Some of the deleterious effects of drinking may be due to alcohol's effects on sleep. Although alcohol may help us feel calm and ready to sleep, it has surprising effects on REM sleep and maybe our waking behaviors too.   In this Aliquot, we discuss some of the risks and surprising effects of alcohol on human health and behavior.  (00:00) Introduction (00:57)  Multiple drinks per day increases the risk of many cancers (Member Q&A segments) (07:16) Moderate alcohol consumption reduces cognitive impairment risk, heavy drinking increases it (08:58) Mild alcohol intake increases the likelihood of living to 90 and improves insulin sensitivity (11:30) Alcohol dampens autoimmunity, but increases infection risk  (12:07) Take-home messages about breast cancer (14:38) Alcohol and four other factors that reduce sleep quality (Matthew Walker segments) (20:16) Alcohol is a sedative, but reduces sleep continuity and suppresses REM sleep Watch the full Q&A featuring Dr. Rhonda Patrick Watch the full interview featuring Dr. Walker Watch the full interview featuring Tim Ferris Get more Aliquots! Become a FMF Premium member and get full access to our members-only podcast, The Aliquot, plus live Q&As with Rhonda, biweekly Science Digest emails, and more. Learn more and sign up at: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/aliquot

Om Podcasten

This is the Aliquot Preview - a sneak peek into FoundMyFitness’s members-only podcast: The Aliquot. Learn more about The Aliquot at foundmyfitness.com/aliquot. Every month we release one free preview episode here so you can sample one of the many FoundMyFitness Premium Membership benefits. So what is an aliquot? An aliquot is a sample taken from a larger whole, that captures the essence of the entirety. FoundMyFitness Aliquots are short, members-only podcasts focused on single topics, curated and remixed to surface our richest content on the most popular topics like diet and nutrition, health span and life extension, exercise, fasting, ketosis, sauna and cold exposure, sleep and depression. Some episodes are edited excerpts, highlights, and informative moments taken from full interviews in the FoundMyFitness podcast (with a little more context from Dr Rhonda Patrick!) Other episodes are mash-ups and highlights from our regular Q&As with members. Become a FoundMyFitness Premium member to get access to weekly Aliquots, biweekly Science Digest emails, and monthly Q&As with Rhonda. Learn more at foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor.