When You Drink Tequila Every Night, This Is What Happens To Your Body
When you drink tequila every night, what happens to your body? Considering tequila has the worst reputation of all types of alcohol, you may expect bad things. After all, there are many different lines people have about tequila and the effect it has on those who drink it. Lyrics like "tequila makes her clothes come off" or the common colloquialism "one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor" make it seem like tequila is the only kind of alcohol that will get you drunk ASAP.
Despite its bad reputation, there's a lot more to this distilled spirit than meets the eye. It's true that bad things can result from habitually drinking alcohol, including tequila. If you drink this kind of booze each and every night, you will notice some side effects, but also some benefits. According to science, this is what really happens to your body when you drink tequila every night.
You could build a tolerance to it to tequila if you drink it every night
While most people will get drunk if they have too many drinks — tequila or otherwise — there is such a thing as building a tolerance to alcohol. If you start drinking tequila every night, even if it's just one or two drinks, a tolerance will likely form.
Now, it's certainly true that there are some people who are naturally more tolerant of alcohol, including tequila. "These are basically individuals who drink everybody under the table and they're born that way," George F. Koob, an internationally-recognized expert on alcohol and stress and the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told HuffPost. "It's an intriguing neurobiological question as to why, but it still remains somewhat of a mystery."
However, you don't need to be one of those people to develop a tolerance to tequila. "In effect, to me, tolerance is the brain adapting to the drug," Koob continued. And while tolerance may mean you'll eventually get used to tequila, it could also mean you'll become dependent on it, which can, in turn, lead to organ damage, according to Very Well Mind.
Your risk for osteoporosis may decrease if you drink tequila every night
While some people may associate alcohol with being unhealthy, that doesn't mean there aren't some health benefits that can result from drinking tequila. Well, sort of. Tequila isn't exactly a healing elixir, but there might be more to the fun spirit than meets the eye. Just as whiskey may help you deal with that head cold, tequila may just be able to ward off certain diseases.
According to a study presented to the American Chemical Society (ACS), there's a specific ingredient — fructans — found in the tequila plant that can actually provide the body with nutrients. "Foods spiked with 'fructans' from the agave plant may help protect against osteoporosis by boosting the body's absorption of calcium and could have other health benefits...," ACS detailed. Now, that doesn't mean that drinking tequila every night will magically prevent you from getting osteoporosis, but your risk for the disease may decrease.
Your stomach will be in pain if you drink tequila every night
If you overindulge in alcohol, it's no secret that you'll have to face up to the consequences the following morning. But, even if you don't overindulge in tequila, you may still be feeling the pain come the AM. Yes, even drinking just one serving of tequila every night can put your body through the ringer.
The thing is, alcohol, including tequila, is harsh on the stomach. As one study revealed, "Alcohol directly irritates the stomach and intestines, causing inflammation of the stomach lining (i.e., gastritis) and delayed stomach emptying, especially when beverages with a high alcohol concentration (i.e., greater than 15 percent) are consumed." So, when you drink tequila every night, you aren't doing your body any favors — and your stomach is responsible for bearing the brunt of the damage. No matter how much tequila you're drinking every night, you're still drinking alcohol and thus, you'll probably start feeling the pain.
You won't gain weight if you drink tequila every night
There's no denying the fact that eating too much or drinking too much of anything can cause weight gain and other side effects. But, if you drink tequila every night, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll gain weight as a result. In fact, drinking a small amount of tequila every night could actually be beneficial to your weight. It's true
According to Insider, "Tequila is made up of agavins, a certain type of indigestible sugars that move through the body unused." So, they won't cause any unwarranted side effects. "These molecules have also been found to simulate metabolism and to help burn fat," the publication explained. Again, tequila isn't a grand remedy that will have you shedding pounds quicker than any other weight loss regimen, but if you love tequila and want to indulge in it each night, the tequila alone won't cause you to gain weight. Now, if you drink it in a margarita loaded with sugar, that's a different story.
You'll increase your body's probiotics if you drink tequila every night
For the most part, the word "bacteria" seems to carry a pretty negative connotation. However, there is such a thing as good bacteria — and it's crucial for your body to have some in order to perform optimally. In fact, according to Healthline: "Probiotics promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to a wide range of health benefits. These include benefits for weight loss, digestive health, immune function and more."
It's only natural that you would want to get as many probiotics into your body as possible. And, as it turns out, tequila may just be an excellent source of probiotics, though it isn't exactly medicinal. Still, according to Insider, "The agave that tequila is derived from contains fructans, a short-chain polymer that supplies probiotics — beneficial bacteria found in the intestines." As such, if you drink a small amount of tequila every night, you may actually be promoting gut health in your body. However, it's important to remember that moderation is still key.
Your metabolism will get a boost if you drink tequila every night
Most adults can relate to feeling like their metabolism could use a boost. Once you hit a certain age, it's just not possible to eat and drink as you used to without gaining weight. The thing is, a person's metabolism is multifaceted, and what your metabolism actually does is somewhat complicated. "Through the process of metabolism, your body turns the food you eat into the energy it needs," according to the Mayo Clinic. "It's a vital process for all living things, not just humans."
A lot of what impacts a person's metabolism comes from diet, exercise, and even genetics, but that's not all that can help with your metabolism. While you may not consider tequila an incredible metabolism-boosting beverage, it is. "A post-meal shot of tequila may help stimulate digestion, but studies have also found that a shot of tequila before the meal acts as an apéritif, stimulating metabolism and appetite," Insider explained.
Drinking tequila every night might not be everyone's idea of a healthy diet, but you may find it gives your metabolism a much-needed boost.
If you drink tequila every night, digestion will become easier
Digestion is one of the most important processes that occurs within your body. During digestion, the food you've eaten is absorbed and broken down so you can pass the rest. "Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell repair," according to the IBD Clinic. "Food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before the blood absorbs them and carries them to cells throughout the body."
Clearly, your body's ability to properly digest food is crucial, and, as it happens, tequila may actually make digestion easier for your body. According to Insider, a shot of tequila after dinner may aid in stimulating digestion. "Drinking a small amount of tequila may benefit digestive health," Insider also revealed, "but be careful not to overdo it; too much tequila has the opposite effect on the body." The latter part is crucial: Too much tequila is definitely not good. However, drinking a small amount of tequila every night could be beneficial.
You might feel more sensual if you drink tequila every night
Though you might feel more inclined to get intimate with someone after a night out of drinking, that's typically because alcohol has a tendency to relax you, and help you feel even bolder than you might normally be. But, if you drink tequila every night, there's a good chance you'll get more in touch with your sensual side.
As Luis Daniel Limón, engineer and general manager of La Viñata Los Osuna tequila distillery in Mazatlán, México, told Elite Daily, tequila stands out from other alcohols with one intriguing quality in particular. "Tequila increases our senses," he said. "[It's] an aphrodisiac." As highlighted above, if you drink enough of any kind of alcohol, there's a good chance you'll start to feel frisky at some point or another. But, with tequila, the feeling of sensuality runs deeper than just getting tipsy. According to Limón, tequila actually stimulates sexual desire. So, if you want to have a fun and flirtatious night every night, sip some tequila after dinner.
Drinking tequila every night may lower your blood sugar
According to the 2017 National Diabetes Statistics Report, over 30 million Americans have diabetes. On top of that, an estimated 84.1 million American adults have prediabetes, a condition "where their blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clearly, diabetes is a huge epidemic in the United States and high blood sugar levels are a problem. Interestingly enough, the sweetener found in tequila could help with that.
According to a report presented at the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (via Phys.org), the natural form of sugar called agavins found in the agave plant — the plant that's used to make tequila — is capable of lowering blood glucose levels. As Phys.org detailed, agavins are "non-digestible and can act as a dietary fiber, so they would not raise blood glucose." Now, this isn't to say that tequila will cure diabetes, or even completely prevent someone from developing the disease, but it may help with blood sugar levels if you drink it every night.
If you drink cheap tequila every night, you'll get a bad hangover
Just as is the case with other kinds of alcohol, the quality of tequila can vary. While you can definitely buy a bottle of tequila for less than $10, it probably won't be the best. And, if that's what you're drinking every night, it's pretty much guaranteed to give you a hangover.
As Luis Daniel Limón, engineer and general manager of La Viñata Los Osuna, a tequila distillery in Mazatlán, México, told Elite Daily, the quality of the tequila really does matter. Drinking tequila that is less than 100 percent agave will wreak havoc on your body, he explained. Now, while even the highest quality of tequila will give you a hangover if you drink too much of it, Limón says the better the quality, the less severe the hangover. That said, if you want to have a shot of tequila after dinner every night, you'll be better off finding a high-quality brand you can trust and fully enjoy. This way, you won't run the risk of feeling totally awful the next day.
Drinking tequila every night won't make you go crazy
Contrary to popular belief — and way too many country songs — tequila won't actually make anyone go "crazy" nor automatically have the desire to get naked at a bar. The fact of the matter is even if you drank tequila every night, your body will still handle it the same way.
According to experts who spoke with The Atlantic, tequila is merely another kind of alcohol — and alcohol, no matter the kind, gets you drunk. However, depending on how much tequila you drink or how fast you drink it, it may make you lose control quicker than if you sipped a glass of wine over the course of a meal. "If a drinker slams tequila back in shots, then he'll get intoxicated faster than if he were gently sipping scotch," the publication explained. "Presto: tequila gets a reputation. That leads to the issue of self-fulfilling prophecy. If people believe tequila makes them rowdier, they may opt for tequila when they want to be rowdy." If you drink tequila every night you won't go loco, but, if you drink too much of it, you probably will have some crazy nights.
If you drink tequila with sugar every night, you'll feel sick
According to Luis Daniel Limón, general manager of La Viñata Los Osuna, when people mix tequila with sugar, they tend to get terrible hangovers. "Often times people are ignorant when drinking tequila and they mix it with cocktails high [in] sugar," Limón told Elite Daily. "That's why they think that tequila is the result of their hangovers when in reality it's the combination."
It's also all too easy to quickly consume sweetened drinks. "You might not eat six slices of cake because you know it will hurt your stomach, but you'll then have six drinks with the same sugar content," Aaron White, senior scientific advisor to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, explained to BuzzFeed. And while it's true that sugar doesn't actually change blood alcohol levels, it can worsen hangovers, cause stomach pain, and send you into a sugar crash.
Drinking shots of tequila every night could spell trouble
Drinking tequila-based, super-sweet margaritas is a sure-fire way to experience a hangover, but that doesn't mean you should consume tequila in shot form. In fact, if you throw back tequila shots every night, you'll probably miss all that the beverage has to offer in terms of quality and taste.
Luis Daniel Limón, general manager of the tequila distillery La Viñata Los Osuna, told Elite Daily, "People who drink shots miss the characteristics and value that the product has. People who continue to drink the tequila in shots are losing the real essence of the product." If you want to truly learn to appreciate tequila, then taking it as a shot probably isn't the best idea.
Drinking a shot of tequila is also not the authentic way, The Daily Meal explained. It's meant for sipping slowly and is one of the alcohols you should just drink straight. Plus, even if you opt for shots of top-shelf tequila, doing shots often promotes consuming lots of alcohol in a short window of time, which can lead to alcohol poisoning.
Remember that moderate consumption is best even if you drink tequila every night
As interesting as tequila is, the beverage isn't a magical cure-all that will, well, cure all. That's true even if you drink it every night. While indulging in a little tequila after work or supper won't automatically get you drunk or cause a hangover the next morning, that doesn't mean it's necessarily healthy.
Heather Mangieri, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics told Mic, "If you're hoping to promote calcium absorption or stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria from fructans, you'll want to load up on food sources, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli or garlic, not tequila."
Mangieri emphasized that tequila should be enjoyed moderately, and that it's not the same as taking vitamins or drinking green juice. "No one should be drinking tequila for the health benefits," she added. If you drink tequila every night, you'll probably be just fine. That is, as long as you're not drinking too much of it and aren't looking for tequila to solve all your problems, of course.