Giving up alcohol for a month could help you lose nearly half a stone

Giving up alcohol for just one month lowers your blood pressure, reduces your risk of cancer AND could help you lose nearly half a stone

• Abstaining for a month also eases insomnia and aids a person’s concentration
• Among heavy drinkers, the amount of fat in their livers reduces by up to 20%
• Once the month is over, some continue to cut back on alcohol by up to 70%  
• Trust Me I’m a Doctor will air tonight on BBC 2 at 8pm

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Giving up alcohol for just one month lowers a person’s blood pressure, reduces their risk of cancer and could help them lose nearly half a stone, research suggests.

Abstaining from alcohol for just four weeks also eases insomnia, aids concentration and boosts liver health, according to a study broadcast on the BBC’s Trust Me I’m a Doctor.

Campaigns to quit alcohol for a month, such as Dry January, have been criticised for encouraging people to binge drink once the four weeks are over.

But TV doctor Michael Mosley, host of the BBC 2 show, states there are ‘clear benefits to be had from going dry for a month’.

Lead author Professor Rajiv Jalan, from University College London, said: ‘If giving up alcohol for a month was a drug, this drug would be worth billions of dollars.’ 

TV doctor Michael Mosley investigated in tonight’s episode of the BBC’s Trust Me I’m a Doctor whether giving up alcohol for a month really benefits a person’s health 

The researchers analysed 26 volunteers, some of which drank less than the government recommended 14 units a week and some four times as much.

One of the female volunteers claimed she had never given up alcohol for a month and had been drinking on and off since she was 13.

All of the participants were weighed beforehand, with their blood pressure and liver health also being assessed. Blood tests were also taken to determine their risk of cancer.  

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The volunteers also completed questionnaires that assessed their mental health and sleep quality.

Half of the participants continued to drink as normal while the remainder cut out alcohol for four weeks.

The experiment was deliberately carried out in July.

This was due to many people choosing to give up alcohol in the new year, alongside vows to exercise more and eat better.

It is therefore often unclear what lifestyle change is causing such people to feel better or produce healthier test results.

One of the unnamed female participants (pictured) was reluctant to take up the challenge, adding she has not gone a month without alcohol since she started drinking at just 13

The volunteers had to quickly get used to drinking water rather than their favourite tipples

Despite July often being a month full of BBQs, parties and weddings, most of the volunteers managed to abstain from alcohol.  

After eight days, one said she felt ‘amazing’, while another added all she missed was ‘the social aspect of drinking’.

When the health tests were repeated after an alcohol-free month, all of the abstainers saw an improvement to their wellbeing.

‘There’s a significant reduction in blood pressure and their weight was reduced by nearly 2-to-3kg [0.31-to-0.47 stone],’ Professor Jalan said on the BBC programme.

Volunteers also reported sleeping better, having improved concentration and generally just feeling healthier. 

‘What was really impressive was a reduction in liver fat, which was reduced by almost 20 per cent in heavy drinkers and by 10 per cent in the light drinkers,’ Professor Jalan added. 

Circulating cancer markers in the blood also reduced among both the light and heavy drinkers. 

Once the experiment ended, the drinkers were free to return to their normal habits, while the researchers continued to monitor their health for a further three weeks.

While the light drinkers among the volunteers went back to their old ways, the heavy drinkers cut back by up to 70 per cent.

Some even gave up alcohol entirely.   

Lead author Professor Rajiv Jalan, from University College London, said that after just four weeks, the results were ‘really impressive’. Abstaining from alcohol led to weight loss, improved blood pressure, lower cancer markers and reduced insomnia, among others 

Once the experiment ended, the drinkers were free to return to their normal habits, while the researchers continued to monitor their health for a further three weeks. While light drinkers went back to their former habits, heavy drinkers cut back by up to 70 per cent

Although the study included less than 30 people, it’s findings suggest cutting out alcohol, even over the short term, benefits a person’s health.

Dr Mosley concluded: ‘Based on this study there are clear benefits to be had from going dry for a month.’

Alcohol has been linked to everything from liver and heart disease to cancer and dementia.

In 2017, more than five million Britons gave up drinking for dry January or Stoptober, according to the programme.   

This comes after research released earlier this year found alcohol sales in England would fall by 38 per cent from £35 billion to £22 billion a year if everyone kept to the recommended 14 units a week.

A quarter of drinkers fail to stick to the Government’s guidance of no more than 14 units a week, according to a study by the University of Sheffield.

Trust Me I’m a Doctor airs tonight on BBC 2 at 8pm

DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK

One screening tool used widely by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). Developed in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the 10-question test is considered to be the gold standard in helping to determine if someone has alcohol abuse problems.

The test has been reproduced here with permission from the WHO.

To complete it, answer each question and note down the corresponding score.

YOUR SCORE:

0-7: You are within the sensible drinking range and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.

Over 8: Indicate harmful or hazardous drinking.

8-15: Medium level of risk. Drinking at your current level puts you at risk of developing problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting down (see below for tips).

16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting back on your own may be difficult at this level, as you may be dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or a counsellor.

20 and over: Possible dependence. Your drinking is already causing you problems, and you could very well be dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least reduce your drinking. You should seek professional help to ascertain the level of your dependence and the safest way to withdraw from alcohol.

Severe dependence may need medically assisted withdrawal, or detox, in a hospital or a specialist clinic. This is due to the likelihood of severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours needing specialist treatment.

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