Fact Check: No, consuming alcohol in cold weather doesn’t provide warmth

Hyderabad: A post claiming that alcohol can be a warm tonic during a cold weather is being endorsed on social media.

Similar posts can be seen here and here.

Let’s fact-check this claim regarding alcohol.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is highly misleading.

Calling it a huge misconception, an article on Drinkaware states, “Alcohol can make you think that you’re warm, but this is deceptive. When you drink, alcohol affects the blood vessels just below your skin. They open up and more blood, and heat, flow into them. That takes blood and heat away from the core of your body. So, while you might feel warm because your skin is warm, your vital organs aren’t getting enough blood to work normally.”

In a myth-buster article on Novant Health, addressing the same claim, Dr Harriet Davis of Novant Health Blakeney Family Physicians, says, “Just one alcoholic drink can make you feel as if you’re warmer, but it lowers your core body temperature and increases your risk of hypothermia. That’s because drinking alcohol reverses the normal process and reflexes that control our body temperature. You also don’t shiver as much when you’re drinking, which doesn’t help because shivering is one way that the body tries to create warmth.”

Cleveland Clinic warns, “Alcohol gives you a false sense of warmth.” “Basically, you’re turning on your radiator to send your heat out into the environment. You might feel warm, but it creates a dangerous situation,” it further adds.

How does alcohol harm the body?

Alcohol is not good for the body. Drinking too much can lead to harmful short-term and long-term effects on the body including physical and mental health.

- Mental health issues such as increased risk of suicide.

- Substance abuse: you may become dependent or addicted to alcohol, especially if you have depression or anxiety, or a family history of alcohol dependence.

- Increased risk of diabetes and weight gain.

- Impotence and other problems with sexual performance.

- Cancers such as stomach cancer, bowel cancer, breast cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer, oesophageal cancer and liver cancer.

- Fertility issues such as reduced sperm count and reduced testosterone levels in men.

- Brain damage and brain-related conditions such as stroke and dementia.

- Heart issues such as high blood pressure, heart damage and heart attacks.

- Cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure

We contacted Prof. Dr S Vijay Mohan, MD, senior consultant physician, Care Hospitals, and the HoD for the Department of Internal Medicine, to debunk the claim.

He said, “Alcohol has a property of vasodilation (widening of arteries) which makes one feel warm for some time. If anyone takes alcohol in a large quantity it causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of arteries). Both these conditions are not good in older people or people with arterial diseases like heart, brain and kidney-related issues. Alcohol should not be used to keep one warm in winter, instead use warm clothing and blankets.”