When You Drink Brandy Every Night, This Is What Happens To Your Body

Would you drink brandy every night if you could choose just one type of alcohol to consume? Brandy is delicious, has some health benefits, and is smooth to drink. Most important of all, brandy is versatile — it can be consumed on the rocks, mixed with fruit juice, or even heated up just above room temperature. It is the perfect drink for every season.

According to Lybrate, a website that publishes articles written and reviewed by medical professionals, brandy is made by introducing heat to wine. This action "concentrates the alcohol naturally present in the wine." The liquid is then aged in oak barrels, until it becomes the glorious drink we know and love as brandy. Though there might be benefits of drinking a small amount of brandy nightly, it might also affect your health negatively, especially if you have too much or suffer from pre-existing conditions. Here is a look at what happens to your body if you drink brandy every night.

Brandy lovers, rejoice! According to research conducted by Monash University in 2005, a nightly shot of "smooth full-flavored brandy" actually has health benefits.

During an interview with Science Daily, Dr. Gordon Troup from the School of Physics at Monash University revealed that high-quality brandy can have supplementary medicinal health benefits. Troup also shared that antioxidants found in high-quality brandy come from the copper present during the distillation process, and taking a shot of brandy will give your body the same antioxidant potential as the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. "The antioxidants only make up only a small percentage of substances found in brandy, but they are a very important part of the mix," Troup told Science Daily. 

A diet high in antioxidants can prove a number of health benefits, including helping guard the body from oxidative stress. According to a medically reviewed article in Medical News Today, oxidative stress has been linked to medical conditions such as immune deficiency, Parkinson's disease, and a number of other inflammatory conditions. In this light, it might be worth choosing to drink brandy every night for your health — in moderation, of course.

Those who suffer from respiratory conditions like asthma know how they might be triggered when you least expect it and how much these conditions can affect day-to-day life. If you found yourself nodding your head in agreement while reading that, we have some good news for you. The British Journal of Diseases of the Chest published survey results in 1983 that reveal a possible link between brandy and respiratory disease.

The survey, which was completed by 168 patients with asthma, found that 32.1 percent of patients stated that consuming one or more drinks of wine, beer, or whisky aggravated their asthma. Interestingly, 23.2 percent of respondents reported that alcohol, "usually brandy and whisky," improved their asthma, especially when their symptoms were "severe."

While this does not prove that you can relieve the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory conditions if you drink brandy every night, it certainly makes a case for further research.

Though drinking alcohol to lead a longer life might seem like an old wives tale, a study conducted over approximately 20 years has proven otherwise.

Research conducted by the Netherlands Cohort Study, led by Piet A van den Brandt and published in Age and Ageing journal in 2020, aimed to discover whether light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is related to reduced mortality. It also examined the consequences of drinking over time and the effects of a regular intake of liqueur containing 16 percent ethanol on average, as well as brandy, beer, wine, fortified wine, and other alcohols. The study found a link between daily intake of alcohol and the probability of reaching 90 years of age­. The highest probability of reaching the age of 90 was found in participants who consumed more than five and less than 15 grams (more than 0.18 ounces and less than 0.53 ounces) of alcohol per day. The study noted that binge drinking was not seen to be beneficial.

Interestingly, it's worth noting if you want to drink brandy every night that the consumption of liquors, such as brandy, only positively impacted the longevity of men.

A risk of cancer is scary enough to turn most of us off anything we love to eat or drink, but what if a choosing to drink brandy every night could help reduce the likelihood of suffering from cancer? According to Science Daily, tests done by Japanese researchers and results published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry indicate this might be possible.

Science Daily revealed that beer and some types of alcohol, including brandy, have shown a "potent inhibitory effect" against mutagens found in some types of heterocyclic amines (HAs). What is the significance of HAs, you ask? Well, they are thought to "contribute to cancer" in humans. The report has stated that "there is a possibility that the plant components originating from hops might be responsible" for the inhibition of the mutagens.

While studies have not yet solidified the link between types of alcohol like brandy and the prevention of cancer, this seems like a great start. Let's raise an occasional glass to that!

Have you noticed your stomach rumbling with hunger just before lunch time? Well, there's a scientific reason why this happens, and messing with it by consuming indulgent drinks like brandy every night might lead to long-term effects.

Our bodies have lots of clocks that operate in parallel to the master body clock. One of these is the all-important "food clock," which consists of a combination of "interacting genes and molecules." Research was conducted by the University of California, San Francisco in 2012, to help understand how the food clock works on a molecular level. The results were surprising. According to Science Daily, your food clock might be reset if you eat and drink indulgent food regularly instead of consuming nutrient-rich meals at typical meal times. According to the study, this might impact your ability to absorb nutrients, digest what you consume, and maintain an even metabolic keel.

Though that nightly glass of brandy is no doubt delicious, it unfortunately might have a negative impact on your metabolism — so you may not want to drink brandy every night for this reason.

Moderation is important when it comes to alcohol, as having too much too often can lead to some unpleasant side effects. According to an article written and reviewed by medical professionals for Lybrate, drinking too much brandy can lead to some unsavory side effects, including the one we all dread the most — a horrible hangover.

While the thought of a daily hangover is probably enough to turn anyone off from choosing to drink brandy every night in excess, Lybrate detailed some even worse side effects that have the ability to impact your body in the long run. These include changes to the drinker's central nervous system, as well as "a rapid drop in blood sugar" (referred to in the medical community as hypoglycemia). Regular large intakes of brandy can also lead to negative effects on normally functioning vital organs, including the liver and kidneys. So abstaining from drinking a large amount of brandy every night is probably best for your overall health.

Brandy has been known and used for its medicinal properties throughout history, which is why we know so much about its effects on our bodies.

A paper titled "Medicinal Brandy" published in the journal Resuscitation in 2011 delved into the uses of brandy in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including its prime use as a "cardiac stimulant." According to the paper, your heart rate will increase significantly within a minute or two of orally taking 20 to 50 percent concentrated alcohol. If swallowed and retained in the stomach, the effect is further prolonged for half an hour or more. The paper revealed that, while the effects of alcohol on blood pressure were varied when conducting studies, blood pressure did rise in some instances.

It's important to note that increasing your blood pressure and heart rate above the healthy threshold can put you at risk of serious medical conditions. Therefore, if you want to drink brandy every night, it is wise to limit your intake to a moderate level to maintain good health.

Having a quiet drink of brandy to wind down and relax after a long day at work might seem like the best way to treat yourself, but is it affecting your risk of heart disease or stroke? Science Daily reported that, according a study on Japanese people published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Foundation, the amount of alcohol consumed can influence heart and stroke risk.

The study tracked the consumption of alcohol including shochu (a spirit similar to brandy) by both men and women. It found that men who reported drinking at least 46 grams (or 1.6 ounces) of alcohol a day lowered their risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 19 percent, in comparison to men who didn't drink. However, women who drank the same quadrupled their risk of heart disease death, when compared to women who didn't drink. Heavy alcohol use was found to increase risk of death from stroke by 48 percent in men and a terrifying 92 percent in women. 

It seems drinking several glasses of brandy per day may be harmful to everyone, but it can be especially dangerous for females. So, if you like to drink brandy every night, please do so in moderation and speak with your doctor about any concerns.

Have you noticed that a boozy night out after a stressful day or upsetting incident can leave you feeling even sadder or more stressed? Well, that's because all types of alcohol, including brandy, are capable of affecting your emotions. According to SFGate, all forms of alcohol are depressants. This essentially means that if you consume the right amount, they can help you "take the edge off strong feelings by suppressing them." However, if you consume excessive amounts of alcohol, your inhibitions can become dulled, paving the way for heightened emotions. This can sometimes lead to feelings of deep sadness, anger, and frustration.

While this knowledge helps us understand why alcohol can change the mood of a night out (or night in, for that matter!), it also highlights the fact that choosing to drink brandy every night can take quite a toll on one's emotional well-being. Perhaps we should be thinking twice before pouring ourselves a nightly dose of brandy!