← Home
ZOE Science & Nutrition · January 8, 2026 · 55m
How to Drink Alcohol Without Destroying Your Health
Prof. David Nutt explains why alcohol ranks as the most harmful drug to society, how even moderate drinking affects the gut microbiome, sleep, and cancer risk, and what the science says about cutting back without giving up completely.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
•
Nutt: alcohol disrupts the gut microbiome by killing beneficial bacteria and promoting the growth of pathogenic species. A single binge-drinking episode can reduce microbiome diversity for weeks, undoing the benefits of a careful diet.
Highlights
•
There is no safe level of alcohol for cancer prevention — even moderate drinking increases risk
Nutt: the claim that moderate alcohol is protective has been debunked by better-controlled studies. Any level of alcohol increases cancer risk (especially breast, colorectal, and liver cancer) through acetaldehyde DNA damage and hormonal disruption.Was this useful?