Going without alcohol for a month provides a moderate drinker with clear health benefits. This is apparent from a study by the Radboudumc and science television program De Kennis van Nu. Fourteen subjects had a 'dry month' before the study. To exclude coincidences, nine abstainers participated as a control group. After this month, these people felt fitter, their cholesterol levels were lower, they had less belly fat and a healthier liver.
After the 'dry month' there was a clear effect:the cholesterol levels decreased, the belly fat decreased and the values in the blood that indicate a stimulation of the liver and the decay of liver cells decreased. The liver stiffness and liver fat of the subjects remained comparable to that of the control group. As soon as the subjects started drinking again, the health effect disappeared. In the control group, all measurements remained stable, but they had a lower mean blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels than the test subjects.
In addition to the effect on the body, the researchers also looked at the psychological effects of (stopping) drinking. Alertness to a reaction test was examined. The participants who drank alcohol were more impulsive on this test:they reacted faster, but also made more mistakes. After the dry month, their reaction speed decreased slightly and became more accurate. It is not certain whether this is really due to stopping drinking.
Fourteen test subjects who all stopped drinking alcohol for at least a month took part in the study. They drank an average of 10.5 glasses of alcohol per week. Most participants were under the limit of a maximum of 14 glasses of alcohol per week. This group was compared with a control group of nine people who did not drink any alcohol at all. In addition, the two presenters of De Kennis van Nu participated in the research and stopped drinking for a month.
