Quitting alcohol for the month of January alone can make people healthier by improving sleeping patterns and aiding in weight loss, a recent study finds.
Swearing off the booze after the holiday festivities has been found to be effective although no medical study has even been conducted to prove such claims. 'Janopause' or the act of pausing from alcohol consumption during the month of January offers health benefits for moderate drinkers. It can help lower cholesterol levels, aid in weight loss, improve sleeping patterns and alertness as well as provide the liver with the chance to recover.
"If someone had a health product that did all that in one month, they would be raking it in," said liver health consultant Kevin Moore. The researchers involved in the study found out that on average participants who abstained from drinking alcohol for just over five weeks lost 3.3 pounds, were able to lower their cholesterol levels by five percent, and lowered their glucose levels by almost a quarter. This shows that their health improved noticeably.
Andy Coghlan, a New Scientist journalist regularly did the 'Janopause'. He asked an expert once what evidence was there of its benefits and was told that there were none. Coghlan then persuaded nine of his colleagues who were classified as normal drinkers to abstain for four weeks while four others agreed to drink regularly as being part of a controlled group. All of the participants had fasting blood tests at the start and end of the study period.
Results showed that tens of thousands of people who have signed up for a 'Dry January' will see health benefits. However, what is unknown is when all of the abstinence will come undone, Professor Rajiv Jalan of University College London suggested.
