When You Drink Aperol Spritzes Every Night, This Is What Happens To Your Body
Nothing beats an Aperol Spritz when it comes to refreshing, boozy summer drinks. The delicious, bright orange cocktail has quickly become the ultimate summer drink thanks to its refreshing taste, its low alcohol content, and, of course, its Instagrammable appearance — a selfie with this stunner of a drink is always a winner! For those of you who don't know what goes into an Aperol Spritz, it's a pretty simple combo. Most bartenders go for three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, and a "splash" of soda water, topped off with a slice of orange. So yummy!
Aperol is an Italian liqueur that comes from the company that produces Campari and it is known as an aperitif. Essentially, an aperitif, or an aperitivo, serves as a palate cleanser to be consumed before a meal. Aperol has a distinctive bitter taste, and, while some people enjoy a small dose of Aperol on its own, in the U.S., many love the liqueur when it's paired with sweet prosecco.
All in all, this drink is real tasty — you just can't go wrong with it! But what happens to your body if you drink Aperol Spritzes every night?
You probably won't gain weight if you drink one Aperol Spritz every night
If you drink Aperol Spritzes every night, you probably won't gain excessive weight. By consuming one Aperol Spritz, you'll only be taking in around 125 calories, according to Image. So, what exactly does that mean?
Unless you're a nutritionist, 125 calories is probably just a number to you. Tom Coleman, a health consultant, provided Image with a little more detail. "In terms of calories and energy density, Aperol Spritz (if made as recommended) is pretty much on a par with a glass of rosé or serving of cider," he said. However, he's careful to add that, just because the drink's calorie count is low, it doesn't mean it's good for you! It is a cocktail, after all.
But at just 125 calories a pop, an Aperol Spritz probably won't do much to affect your waistline. Let's put things into perspective. A pint of beer, for instance, can set you back 180 calories (via Men's Health UK), a glass of red wine can be around 160 calories or more (via Drinkaware), and some sugary cocktails can have over 700 calories, as noted by Forbes! Yikes.
If you drink Aperol Spritzes every night, you may become more sensitive to aromas (and gain weight because of it)
Aperol, one of many iconic liquors every home bar needs, comes from the Italian liqueur family known as the aperitivos, and these liqueurs are designed to be consumed before a meal, as noted by Walks of Italy. Aperol, like other aperitivos, is meant to whet your appetite and help you enjoy your food — a very Italian concept! But does the science back it up? As it turns out, yes, Aperol can help to prepare your body to enjoy food. According to a study published in the journal Obesity in 2015 (via Science Daily), alcohol "[increases] the brain's sensitivity to external food cues, like aromas," as researcher William J. A. Eiler II explained. This means your food will be far more tantalizing and tempting after you drink an Aperol Spritz.
So, if you consume an Aperol Spritz every night before a meal, you may enjoy the taste of your food more than usual. However, there is a catch. Unfortunately, by heightening our brain's sensitivity to food aromas, Aperol can also make you eat more.
Given this info, if you drink an Aperol Spritz as a pre-meal beverage, be careful about how much food you consume!
Aperol Spritzes are low in alcohol so you likely won't suffer a bad hangover
Compared to other popular alcoholic drinks, the Aperol Spritz is fairly tame when it comes to alcohol content. Unlike some stronger cocktails, an Aperol Spritz is unlikely to make you feel too tipsy.
Studies have shown that an Aperol Spritz contains only about 9 percent alcohol (via CheckAlc). Let's compare that to some other well-loved summertime bevvys. Some white wines, for instance, check in between 10 and 15 percent, so one medium-sized glass may be a little worse than an Aperol Spritz. A Negroni, Campari, gin, and vermouth cocktail can have a massive 24 percent ABV, according to The Spruce Eats. A couple of these drinks and you probably won't be feeling so good!
However, because one Aperol Spritz won't make you feel drunk, you may find yourself ordering two or three more. Plus, thanks to the relatively low alcohol content, you probably won't wake up with a piercing hangover headache if you only have one of these bad boys. But needless to say, more than one of these tasty cocktails could leave you feeling a little tipsy or hungover. Remember to enjoy in moderation!
If you drink Aperol Spritzes every night, it might help with your digestion
You may be shocked to hear that an Aperol Spritz might actually have some real health benefits. One of these benefits seems to be that it can help with your digestive system.
In an article from Express, it's suggested that the bitters in an Aperol Spritz can actually help ward off bloating and tummy upsets. It seems that Aperol can actually stimulate bile, according to Women's Health. And that's a good thing.
So, what exactly is bile you ask? Well, bile is a fluid that is released from the liver in order to help break down food and move it into the digestive tract, according to MedicinePlus. With the proper amount of bile, you should find that your food is digested without much of a fuss and without any pain. We can count this as another reason why many people seem to love this drink before a delicious meal!
If you drink Aperol Spritzes every night, you'll be consuming less sugar than some other cocktails
If you know your liqueurs, you'll know that Aperol comes from the same company that brought us Campari. Aperol is the sweeter, less bitter option, so you'd be forgiven for thinking that it has a lot more sugar. However, Wine4Food reported that the two aperitivos have "about the same" sugar content. And according to SparkRecipes, an Aperol Spritz has a mere 1.5 grams of sugar per serving. This is a double win, as Aperol also has a low alcohol content (via Image). So, if you're worried about sugar, Aperol seems to be a pretty smart choice.
This means that you can opt for an Aperol Spritz instead of a Campari Spritz without feeling guilty about choosing the sweeter option! Plus, you can feel a little smug about going for the liqueur with the lower amount of alcohol. Great news for Aperol Spritz lovers!
You'll get a little vitamin C boost if you drink Aperol Spritzes every night
We all know how important it is to get our vitamin C. What most don't know is that you can get a boost of the vitamin from a delicious, cheeky Aperol Spritz. Yes, it turns out, this drink can actually boost your vitamin C intake. Aperol contains oranges. Plus, when you choose an Aperol Spritz, you might add a delicious slice of orange to your drink, which provides an additional dose of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is a crucial part of any healthy diet and has a huge range of health benefits. According to Healthline, vitamin C can reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease, help with high blood pressure, prevent iron deficiency, and support your immune system, among other benefits.
With all of these impressive benefits, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking that an Aperol Spritz a day keeps the doctor away. But remember, this drink can't substitute fruits and vegetables in your diet. Still, it's nice to know it may be doing a little good for your body — at least more than, say, beer would.
If you drink Aperol Spritzes every day, its gentian herb content might help relieve certain ailments
Aperol is made with orange, rhubarb, and a mixture of herbs, including something called gentian, as noted by The Georgetowner. Gentian is widely known in the health community for its range of benefits, so, by drinking an Aperol Spritz a day, you might just get some of these benefits yourself.
Gentian is often used to make medicine. Its primary use is to resolve digestive problems, including loss of appetite, intestinal gas, diarrhea, heartburn, and vomiting, as noted by RXList.com. Essentially, this herb has been shown to settle the stomach and promote healthy eating. That's probably what makes it such a great pre-meal palate cleanser!
Gentian has also been shown to help with fever, high blood pressure, muscle spasms, and sinus infections. With so many impressive health benefits associated with the herb, we wouldn't blame you for being a little smug about your nightly Aperol Spritz! While it's unclear just how much gentian is in Aperol, we imagine that any little bit has the potential to help your body.
You may put pressure on your heart if you drink Aperol Spritzes every night
We've discussed some of the positive aspects of drinking Aperol Spritzes every night. Unfortunately, it would be foolish to ignore the fact that this is, after all, an alcoholic drink, which can carry with it some negative physical effects.
One of these more negative effects of the drink is that it may put some pressure on your heart, as noted by The Recovery Village. Aperol and prosecco, like other forms of alcohol, decrease the amount of fluid in the body, dehydrating you. This means that the heart has to work extra hard to move blood around the body, putting an extra strain on this essential organ. While it decreases fluid in the body, it simultaneously increases your blood pressure, presenting an added burden for your heart.
While this is usually not too much of a strain for your heart to handle, consistent consumption of alcohol, especially on a daily basis, may result in longterm health problems like cardiovascular disease, as noted by Heart.org. It's best to drink alcohol in moderation and limit your daily intake of alcohol — Aperol Spritzes included.
You may increase your risk of liver failure if you drink Aperol Spritzes every night
Another not so great aspect of drinking this alcoholic beverage every single day is that it may increase your risk of liver failure. Even though an Aperol Spritz has a relatively low alcohol content, it is still alcoholic. All alcohols can have some unfavorable effects on the liver, as shown by The Recovery Village. And when you drink alcoholic beverages like Aperol Spritzes every night, you could put a lot of additional strain on the liver, which is responsible for breaking up toxins in alcohol, so that the body can digest it safely.
Eventually, daily consumption of alcohol can actually lead to something called fibrosis, which is when the liver tissue becomes scarred. Alcoholic hepatitis, which is when the liver becomes inflamed, is another danger of daily alcohol consumption. After a long period of time, these problems may lead to liver failure.
Avoid this scary side effect from drinking Aperol Spritzes every night by cutting back on your alcohol intake. While one Aperol Spritz a day probably won't do too much harm, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
If you drink Aperol Spritzes every night, you could potentially experience benefits from cinchona
One positive aspect of Aperol is that it contains cinchona, a tree, as noted by The Georgetowner. So, what's so great about cinchona? Turns out, it has some pretty wonderful benefits, as noted by RXList.
Cinchona has been shown to support the release of digestive juices, which helps with stomach problems, and can help with bloating and fullness. It also has the effect of boosting the appetite, so watch out that you don't eat too much! Not only does cinchona help with the stomach, but it can also help with blood vessel disorders like hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and even leg cramps.
As you might have guessed, very little research has been done on whether drinking Aperol Spritzes every night can have a real impact on these conditions. After all, the cocktail's cinchona content is presumably pretty low. Nevertheless, it sure feels good to know you're consuming this amazing ingredient on a nightly basis.
If you drink an Aperol Spritz every night, you may experience a boost to your mood
Feeling a little low? Why not have an Aperol Spritz! You'll be pleased to hear (but maybe not too surprised) that components of an Aperol Spritz have been scientifically proven to be mood boosters. Ever noticed that you feel extra happy after a round of Spritzes? Well, the prosecco portion of the cocktail is why. Prosecco is a sparkling wine, which, like other sparkling wines, contains trace amounts of three minerals — zinc, magnesium, and potassium, according to The Healing Power of Champagne (via Stylist). All three are scientifically proven to be serious mood boosters.
Zinc and magnesium have been shown in a Spanish study published in Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría in 2017 to have an anti-depressive effect, as they can act on the brain's NMDA receptors. Essentially, these minerals switch on the happy side of your brain. And according to a study published in Anaesthesia, even a small lapse in potassium can lead to an increased feeling of anxiety.
So, thanks to the bubbly in Aperol Spritzes, you'll probably feel a little, well... bubbly!
If you drink an Aperol Spritz every night, you might experience a boost in your sex life
Listen up ladies (and gents)! It seems that if you drink an Aperol Spritz, you may improve your sex life. So, why not have a Spritz and let the good times roll? But first, let's talk about the science behind this claim. How can an Aperol Spritz actually improve your sex life? Does it make more people swipe right when they see your Tinder profile? No, not exactly.
A study highlighted in Evening Standard reported that champagne — which is similar to prosecco, an ingredient in Aperol Spritzes, though not the same – can enhance and improve your sexual desire faster than other types of alcohol.
One couple put this to the test with champagne as reported in an article in The Sun, and found that the more of the sparkling wine they drank, the better the sex was for both of them. They credited the bubbles and the alcohol content for triggering endorphins that activated the brain's pleasure center.
Could your memory improve if you drink an Aperol Spritz every night?
Tend to forget little details? Did you know that drinking an Aperol Spritz may actually help improve your memory? A study in The Journal of Wine Research has shown that champagne — which is similar to prosecco, though not exactly the same – has the ability to improve your spatial working memory. "However, Champagne wine, which is low in flavonoids, was also observed to improve spatial working memory," the study reported. "Such effects may be the result of other phytochemicals such as hydroxycinnamates, phenolic acids and phenol alcohol."
We know what you're thinking — isn't alcohol supposed to mess with your memory? After all, many have experienced that awful anxiety of forgetting a wild night out. However, it'd seem that a moderate amount of prosecco could actually be good for your brain's memory functions. Of course, if you overdo it with the prosecco — or indeed any drink — your cognitive functions will likely be impaired.
You may lower your risk of catching the common cold if you drink an Aperol Spritz every night
Tired of getting the sniffles? Well, drinking an Aperol Spritz every night might actually help to ward off the common cold before symptoms really kick in.
Doctors have discovered that drinking a moderate amount of any wine can actually help you develop "a kind of immunity" against the 200 viruses that can lead to the common cold. The study, as reported by the Daily Mail, found that people who had more than 14 glasses of wine a week had a 40 percent lower risk of catching a cold than those who drank no alcohol.
The researchers credited the high levels of antioxidants in wine called flavonoids, which are thought to work against nasal viruses in particular. Prosecco is a sparkling white wine, so choosing to drink an Aperol Spritz every night might actually help protect you against a nasty nasal cold. Of course, the alcohol in the drink has negative effects too, so don't get lulled into thinking the drink is entirely good for you!