Tag: Guinness/Diageo

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Time to ban the booze during games at the Aviva: Gerry Thornley, Irish Times Sport

Gerry Thornley: Time to ban the booze during games at the Aviva

Match-day experience at internationals a big problem the IRFU needs to address

No atmosphere: The Ireland team prior to their Six Nations game against Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on March 19th. There’s anecdotal evidence of supporters who no longer wish to be there having simply become weary of the experience. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho

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The Gut Experts’ view on Alcohol and the Gut

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drinkaware.ie

In moderation, alcohol can be an enjoyable addition to a social occasion or a nice meal. However, more and more we are seeing the effects of excess alcohol consumption on people’s physical, mental and specifically, their gut health.

The Covid pandemic has led to an increase in alcohol consumption, particularly in drinking in the home, which may be particularly problematic as home measures are often a lot more generous than standard measures. As a result, people may be drinking far more standard drinks of alcohol per week than they realise. This is particularly important for women as the female liver is 30% smaller than the male liver and as alcohol is metabolised (broken down) in the liver, women are less efficient at metabolising it and more sensitive to its effects.

From the gut health perspective, alcohol can affect every part of your digestive system. Here are some of the topline effects that alcohol can have on your digestive system:

  • Reduced health of the gums and teeth with an increased risk of cavities and erosion of the enamel
  • It can cause heartburn and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
  • It can cause gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) and gastric and duodenal ulcers
  • It can damage the liver leading to a condition known as cirrhosis, where the liver is irreversibly damaged and does not work properly anymore
  • It can damage the pancreas gland, which is vital for production of insulin and some important digestive enzymes
  • It can lead to a thing called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). This can lead to unpleasant symptoms of bloating, abdominal cramps, excessive wind/gas and diarrhoea
  • Alcohol can have a significant negative effect on the healthy bacteria in our colon, the so-called gut micrbiome. We have over 50 trillion bacteria making up the gut microbiome, and chronic alcohol intake reduces the variety and number of different species of bacteria in our gut. This change is called dysbiosis and is detrimental to gut and overall health
  • Alcohol is high in calories and this can contribute to weight gain, particularly weight gain around the abdomen.

Alcohol and IBS

Aside from all of these effects, alcohol can trigger unpleasant symptoms in people who suffer with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is extremely common – it affects up to 1 in 10 adults. What’s more, it is up to 2.5 times more common in women than men, so that 7 out of every 10 people with IBS are female.

So alcohol is a trigger of IBS symptoms, IBS is more common in women and women are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol in general – you can see how alcohol may be particularly problematic for women who suffer from IBS.

The symptoms of IBS include stomach cramps, diarrhoea or constipation (or alternating between the two), abdominal bloating and excess wind/gas. These can all be made worse by alcohol.

The Drinkaware website is an excellent resource and has a lot of information regarding how much alcohol makes up one standard drink for all the different alcoholic beverages. At The Gut Experts, we strongly believe that people can enjoy alcohol safely but we want people to be aware of the many reasons for staying within those safe guidelines. Our gut and our gut bacteria do not like an excess of alcohol, so as with all things, we should listen to our gut.

The Gut Experts’ alcohol advice:

  • Stay within recommended low-risk guidelines for alcohol consumption
  • If you suffer with IBS, the less alcohol you drink, the better your gut symptoms
  • Have at least 2-3 alcohol free days each week
  • Drink with or after food, not on an empty tummy
  • Try avoid foods that trigger IBS when drinking alcohol
  • Alternate alcoholic drinks with water as alcohol dehydrates the body
  • Beer tends to cause wind /gas and bloating
  • Similarly, carbonated mixers in large quantities can cause gas and bloating
  • Try low alcohol drinks
  • Red wine has been shown to be beneficial to the gut microbiome, but total weekly consumption should be kept within recommended guidelines
  • If you have IBS it is important to drink all alcohol in moderation.  Certain alcohol types tend to trigger fewer gut symptoms than others.

About The Gut Experts  

Professor of Gastroenterology, Barbara Ryan and Clinical Dietitian, Elaine McGowan want to improve people’s understanding and awareness about IBS. The more it is understood, the better people can be supported. Together they are sharing their medical and dietary expertise to educate and empower people to take action to restore their gut health and to find the best solutions for their gut problems. Between them they have cared for more than 60,000 patients.

Visit The Gut Experts website for more information or you can follow The Gut Experts on Instagram and Facebook @thegutexperts.

https://drinkaware.ie/guest-blog-the-gut-experts-view-on-alcohol-and-the-gut/

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Irish beer production slumped in 2021 @DrinksIreland









Drinks Ireland

@DrinksIreland
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Irish beer production slumped in 2021 but recovery under way https://irishtimes.com/business/irish-beer-production-slumped-in-2021-but-recovery-under-way-1.4873909
via @IrishTimes

Beer production fell sharply in the Republic last year, down 46 per cent on 2020, according to figures released by the employers’ lobby group, Ibec. The numbers employed in the sector also fell by a fifth.

The group’s Drinks Ireland|Beer division suggests the fall in production was due to a drop in demand following the tough anti-virus restrictions on the hospitality sector that were in place for large parts of 2021. Its Beer Market report says about 60 per cent of beer typically is consumed in pubs, but that fell to 29 per cent in 2020 before recovering somewhat to 46 per cent in 2021.

The production dip in 2021 followed a fall of 13 per cent the previous year.

While total beer sales fell by 1.2 per cent last year compared with 2020, and consumption per person fell 2.3 per cent, the sector began to stage a clear recovery in the second half of 2021 as the on-trade reopened and trends for home consumption began to moderate.

Figures provided in the Drinks Ireland|Beer report suggest sales volumes were at pre-pandemic levels during the third quarter of 2021.

Stout demand

More than 32 per cent of all beer sold in the Irish market last year was stout, a return to pre-pandemic normality. Stout’s share had dipped to about 25 per cent in 2020, when pubs were largely closed for chunks of the year. Lager sales, which spiked during periods of lockdown, fell back significantly in 2021.

Non-alcoholic beer sales were just 1.5 per cent of the total, although the proportion is four times larger than it was just four years ago.

The value of beer exports fell 3 per cent last year to €246 million, according to the Ibec report. Britain followed by the US is the biggest export market for beer produced in Ireland. Sales from the beer category contributed about €351 million in exchequer receipts.