Is a bottle of prosecco a night as bad as a regular wine? Can it still lead to liver damage? I'm concerned about a friend.
Prosecco: Is a bottle of prosecco a... - British Liver Trust
Prosecco
58 Replies
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To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines advise it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
A 125ml glass of 12% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) prosecco contains 1.5 units.
Drinking just over nine 125ml glasses (around a bottle and a half) of 12% ABV prosecco a week means you’ll exceed these guidelines.
So, if your friend is drinking a bottle of Prosecco every night then yes she is putting herself at risk of harm by drinking way in excess of the guideline amount.
Alcohol is alcohol regardless of what kind it comes in wine, spirits, beer etc. There is no 'safer' alcohol.
Katie
in reply to AyrshireK
Thank you for your reply. I had read this but I wanted to get my facts straight about prosecco itself, as she seems to think there are heart health benefits, as she had a "widow maker" heart attack about 9 months before the pandemic and she has been drinking a bottle a night since then. I don't think she thinks its"real" alcohol
Worrysome1 in reply to
Of course it is!
in reply to Worrysome1
I know, but I want to have all my facts straight for when I get a chance to talk to her husband about it. I lost my sister to alcohol last year and I can see some familiar traits 😢
Worrysome1 in reply to
Sorry to hear that. It was too acidic for me. Wish I’d left the lot of it alone. Worried sick I’ve done liver damage to myself with drinking white wine every evening for 30 years.
in reply to Worrysome1
My sister was the same with red wine, sometimes 3 bottles a night. She had breast cancer twice and a traumatic brain injury before the final downward spiral. Hope you'll be ok 🤞❤️
Worrysome1 in reply to
I would say 5 bottles a week for me but before symptoms started I was drinking more than that for a few weeks. 3 bottles of wine would have been impossible for me but it’s the length of time I have been overdoing it that’s worrying me. Hope she gives it the boot.
in reply to Worrysome1
Hopefully you have avoided any real harm. I sincerely hope that you have 🤞. I don't think my friend will stop at all. This is why I want to speak to her husband. She can get quite aggressive and defensive and after seeing what my sister was like, I feel I can't stand by and watch.
Worrysome1 in reply to
You should absolutely tell her straight to her face and let her look on here for a week or two, I wish I had.
in reply to
There are no health benefits to drinking prosecco or red wine. It contains alcohol which is poison and a killer.
Look at the units on the bottle. Will be 10 I’m sure. 70 units a week. Should only drink 14 to be safe. Alcohol is alcohol.
My friend doesn't seem to think it's "real" alcohol.
AyrshireK in reply to
Most prosecco is 12% proof so very real alcohol. britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
in reply to
There are approximately 6 glasses per bottle of prosecco. Each glass contains 1.5 units x 6 = 9 units per bottle. I bottle per day x 7 days = 63 units per week. Government guidelines say 14 units is a safe maximum. Your friend is heading for disaster if she continues drinking in this manner.
in reply to
Why did you say "your friend" like that?
in reply to
Your friend doesn't seem to think it's "real" alcohol. It is definately "real" theres no such thing as unreal alcohol.
That doesn't answer my question
There has been a study done about the 'health benefits' of prosecco - Prosecco Can Be Good For Your Heart. We always knew that Prosecco held a very special place in our hearts, but we didn’t know it was working wonders while it was in there. According to research conducted by scientists at the University of Reading, those boozy bubbles contain polyphenols (aka plant chemicals laden with antioxidant properties). This helps to lower your blood pressure and increase your circulation which reduces your chances of having a stroke and gives your heart a health boost.
HOWEVER, it's about a glass perhaps a day NOT a bottle a day & on a liver forum where we support members living with the effects of too much booze or indeed cirrhosis due to other causes it is never going to get wide support.
The calorie content (let alone the alcohol content) of prosecco could over time counteract any supposed health benefits with a single 125ml glass containing 86 calories - Having three glasses would be the equivalent in calories of eating a classic hamburger from a fast food restaurant so the equivalent of two fast food shop hamburgers per bottle (minimum).
Your friend really does need to reassess her relationship with the bottle a day of the stuff - potential slippery slope.
Katie
I HATE when alcohol is marketed as health beneficial
I am certainly not promoting it - quote is from a university study. This ladies friend has obviously seen this stuff about prosecco and thinks (wrongly) it is going to do her some good as regards her heart issues - totally ignoring the fact the booze content, the calorie content and the fact alcohol is an out and out poison.
in reply to AyrshireK
This is what I feel is happening. Even through lockdown she was doing all these tiktok videos of her opening the fridge with big starry eyes and fawning all over the bottles. Also there were videos of her having bbqs in the afternoon, already on the bottle. I feel people see me watching her and I think they think I'm being some kind of snob but it's not that at all.
It’s bad on 2 grounds - it’s alcohol & it’s high in sugar both will damage her liver & if it’s already damaged make it worse.
I have NASH which is non alcoholic Cirrhosis. I have never been a heavy drinker even when young I asked my consultant if a glass of wine or champagne would be okay at Christmas and he said, See that glass of water, if I swopped it to poison and told you to drink it would you ??? He said alcohol is poison to the liver and that the diabetes epidemic that we're seeing at the moment is nothing compared to the liver problems that are going to be the curse of this country in a generation.
Please try to get your friend to limit their drinking. Difficult I know.
in reply to Benwillfred
It is so hard to get people to listen. I feel like a preacher since my sister died, but its only because we didn't realise what was happening to her, as she kind of broke contact with us, as it happens, when things were becoming critical. She obviously didn't want us to see her decline 💔
Hiya, this is the exact question I asked my GP 13 years ago. It's a slippery slope my love. Although I've not took a sip of alcohol since 2017....I'm now have de-compensated Cirrhosis with Grade 3 Varices and Ascites. Yes it is very damaging. Please don't throw your life away like I did. We all think it won't happen to us don't we! Your've made the first step realising it could cause damage to your health and well being. Something I didn't do. Good Luck. Remember, everything is good in moderation. 🤗
in reply to 19samantha81
Thanks for your reply. I'm so sorry you are going through this❤️. If only there was more awareness. I myself don't drink, and feel as though people look at me as if I am being self-righteous. I'm on a lot of medication and feel that my liver has enough to deal with, and apart from that, I don't like the way it makes me feel. I don't look down on people who drink at all, I just hope they are aware of what they may be doing to themselves.
Hello and welcome to our forum,
Prosecco is most certainly alcohol and your friend is drinking at dangerous levels.
Here is the link to our 'Alcohol and liver disease' publication and also the organisation 'Drink Aware' for info;
Bottle of prosseco, bottle of wine, a third of a bottle of vodka, 4 pints of lagerTwo thirds of a bottle of sherry or port.
ALL EXACTLY THE SAME.
This scares me so much. I used to think nothing about downing a bottle of wine. Over 6 months without and I now realise how much it could have harmed me. Too late now I suppose for regret.
in reply to Worrysome1
At least you don't have cirrhosis. No point regretting just be grateful your liver is fine
Worrysome1 in reply to
Then someone on here will say US misses 40% of cirrhosis and I’m back at square 1.
Cirrhosis or no cirrhosis, the best thing you can do is live a healthy, clean life. Keep working on your diet, and aim at improving fitness levels . Then whatever happens, you've given yourself and family the best possible chance of improving things. Lots of positive thoughts go a long way in these situations. You are one of the lucky ones that has discovered your previous bad habits weren't doing you any favours, and have been able to address this before having life threatening emergencies 🙂 You can do it!!!!!!!
Thanks, putting all my being into making up for the past. Thank you.
in reply to Worrysome1
My sister was never diagnosed but any health professionals. Our family put 2 and 2 together with all the different things she was being treated for. The docs just never made the connection. I spoke to her docs after she died and told them what we believed caused her death and they admitted that they had tried referring her to rehab but said she wasn't interested. How they never made the connection I'll never know 💔
Worrysome1 in reply to
How sad, no wonder you have an aversion to drink. X
in reply to Worrysome1
I only ever drank socially, every other month but it never really agreed with me. I hated the way it made me feel. I stopped years before I knew about my sister.
Worrysome1 in reply to
I loved how it made me feel! Relaxed and anxiety melted away but boy I’m paying for it now, my anxiety is through the roof.
in reply to Worrysome1
I enjoyed the highs but was always sick. Probably trying to tell me something 🤔
Worrysome1 in reply to
It did you a favour, wish it had had that effect on me. C
in reply to Worrysome1
❤️❤️❤️
in reply to
If an addict refuses rehab when its offered, there is nothing else they can do for them.
in reply to
I know. The point I am making is that her GP said that to their knowledge, she did not die liver disease when she had all the symptoms.
DM-001 in reply to
What was on her death cert as cause? Sorry for your loss by the way....
in reply to DM-001
Thank you. Her death certificate said sepsis of unknown origin and multi organ failure
in reply to
She obviously had other health issues which were not associated with her drinking. I don't think it's going to help you and the rest of your family to dwell on what you believe happened to your sister and there's nothing that can be done to change the outcome.
Try to concentrate on happy times you spent with her and take comfort from that, that she is no longer suffering or in pain and that you have a cause of death.
All the best moving forward and be happy.... life is for living now and is too short for ifs buts and regrets.
in reply to
It's alright saying that, but when you are called, several times, to come and help get her up because she has fallen, face down into sofa cushions, she's not moving and you are petrified she's going to die, she's incoherent and her partner is shouting at me "what's wrong with her?!!" He is still asking me "why is she not here?"
in reply to
It sounds to me as though you all need professional help to deal with your grief.
in reply to Worrysome1
And as is often said on here, a diagnosis of cirrhosis requires an accumulation of scans and blood tests. All of which you say you have had and have proved you do not have cirrhosis.
Worrysome1 in reply to
Only US x 2 and LFTs. Maybe I need more.
in reply to Worrysome1
I doubt it but if it stands any chance of you stopping worrying it may well be worth it. 🤷🏻♀️
Worrysome1 in reply to
Seeing gastro in August so he might do more. Did your husband have US? Forgive me for asking.
in reply to Worrysome1
He was diagnosed before any tests were done. His symptoms were obvious and severe. He was displaying dreadful behaviour which was Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) He drank way more than you ever did. He admitted to his councellor he was abusing alcohol from the age of 15 until 3 months before he died at 54.
Heart breaking.
