S1: My name is Ben Greenfield, and on this episode of
S1: the Ben Greenfield Life Podcast, sometimes it helps with your
S1: detoxification to take a binder right before you go to bed.
S1: If you take the DM right before you go to bed,
S1: whatever binding agent that you use is going to bind
S1: the DM and render it less effective and just basically
S1: turn it into expensive pee or poop as the binding
S1: case may be. So basically, this is why you take
S1: the DM for example. You know, as you're walking home
S1: from the restaurant out to your car, as you're cleaning
S1: the kitchen after dinner, not right before you go to
S1: bed if you're taking a binding edge fitness, nutrition, biohacking, longevity,
S1: life optimization, spirituality, and a whole lot more. Welcome to
S1: the Ben Greenfield Live show. Are you ready to hack
S1: your life? Let's do this. It is time to talk
S1: all things alcohol. Hooray! Grab your glass of organic biodynamic wine,
S1: your mezcal gin, your bitters with lemon juice and apple
S1: cider vinegar, or your can of ketones and sit back.
S1: Take a sip. Get ready to find out how quickly
S1: you are or are not destroying your body as you
S1: join me for a drink. You know, I was recently
S1: on a speaking tour of India. I think probably the
S1: top question I got over there, besides air pollution, was
S1: whether or not I endorsed drinking alcohol. I don't think
S1: it's any surprise for anybody who's listening to the show
S1: for any period of time that I'm not a teetotaler.
S1: I believe it's called. Uh, however, I do have a
S1: drink just about every night of the week. I have
S1: a small glass of organic biodynamic wine while I'm practicing
S1: my guitar before dinner. If I'm out of the restaurant,
S1: I'll order a, you know, old fashioned or a little
S1: bit of, you know, gin or vodka on the rocks
S1: with a splash of bitters and lemon juice. I'm constantly
S1: mixing up little healthy variants of cocktails and vinegar shrubs
S1: with splashes of alcohol in my own home, and it
S1: certainly is something that I partake in. I think probably, uh,
S1: Doctor Andrew Huberman is the person who has been most
S1: responsible for perhaps turning a lot of biohackers and health
S1: enthusiasts off of the idea of alcohol. But I think
S1: there is a little bit more to the story here.
S1: So the first thing that is important to understand is
S1: this whole concept of stress, uh, particularly what's called mitosis.
S1: All right. I realize we're jumping right into the geeky
S1: stuff right away. You might have to take another sip.
S1: We should just play a drinking game every time I
S1: saw this. You can take a shot. Uh, anyways, mitogen
S1: emesis might have hormones. It basically that's defined as the
S1: response to an acute sublethal stress. Hopefully that glass of
S1: wine is sublethal, such as oxidative stress, which alcohol causes
S1: that may temporarily impair or damage mitochondria, but ultimately leads
S1: to the activation of adaptive mechanisms that confer stress resilience
S1: and improve mitochondrial function. Hmm. So maybe a lot of
S1: those blue zones who are having, you know, 1 to
S1: 2 drinks a day for men and women might be
S1: on to something when it comes to longevity. So this
S1: idea of oxidative stress, basically these reactive oxygen species like
S1: superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, they can actually cause a little
S1: bit of damage to the cell membrane and to cellular function.
S1: But they also serve as signaling molecules that can promote
S1: health by preventing or delaying a number of chronic diseases
S1: and ultimately extending lifespan. Now there is, of course, of course,
S1: a dose response curve. Here there's a dose response curve. Basically,
S1: there's this whole theory called the free radical theory of aging.
S1: And that suggests what's called a linear dose response relationship
S1: between increasing amounts of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress
S1: and mortality. This is why, for example, if you're doing
S1: red light therapy, you're supposed to go 20 to 25
S1: minutes and not a lot more because then you generate
S1: excess reactive oxygen species. This is why the benefits of
S1: exercise top off at maybe around 170 minutes per week,
S1: at which point you start to see increased risk for
S1: things like mortality, atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness, uh, etc.. Uh, this
S1: is why, you know, sauna is certainly something that could
S1: deplete you of electrolytes and minerals and water when done
S1: in high doses, but 5 to 7 times per week
S1: for 20 to 30 minutes, it actually appears to extend longevity.
S1: Even the the stress from plant defense molecules like lectins
S1: and gluten, something called xeno emesis, can induce some amount
S1: of cellular resilience. But obviously if you're getting gas and
S1: bloating and digestive distress and autoimmune disorders, that's an indication
S1: that you've gone past that law of diminishing returns. So
S1: essentially when we look at alcohol, I think one of
S1: the guys who has done a good job spreading the
S1: idea that the concept of no safe level of alcohol
S1: consumption could be total nonsense is Doctor Chris Masterson. Uh,
S1: Chris Masterson is a real wizard when it comes to biochemistry.
S1: He actually has a fantastic article and I will link
S1: to it in the show notes. You're going to find
S1: the show notes at Ben Greenfield Life. Com slash alcohol podcast.
S1: That's Ben Greenfield life com slash alcohol podcast A few
S1: interesting notes from Chris's article. So first of all, in
S1: the study that's being widely championed right now to show
S1: that there's no safe level of alcohol for the brain,
S1: going from zero alcohol intake to a serving of alcohol
S1: per day. Really, it's not a huge serving. It's for what?
S1: For most people, probably half of what they're currently drinking,
S1: like half a drink per day. You know, my pour
S1: of wine in the evening for. Sample is 3 to 4oz,
S1: not a fishbowl sized glass. It's not associated with any
S1: harm in females, and shocker is associated with slightly better
S1: brain markers in males. DNA markers of aging go down
S1: with increasing number of drinks per week, at least through
S1: seven drinks per week. But here's what's important. That's one
S1: drink per day. And here's what I think a lot
S1: of people who are shoving alcohol under the bus aren't saying.
S1: There's a big difference between having seven drinks on a
S1: Saturday night and having one drink each night of the week,
S1: in the same way that if I tell you, running
S1: as healthy, there's a big difference between you running three
S1: miles a day versus you running 21 miles on a
S1: Saturday and taking on way too much volume at once,
S1: that your body's endogenous antioxidant and DNA repair mechanisms simply
S1: can't keep up with it would be the reason for
S1: me saying 170 minutes of exercise a week could be
S1: healthy and something you could get away with, and you're
S1: doing all 170 minutes of that exercise in one fell
S1: swoop during some masochistic, you know, superset trip to the
S1: gym where you crawl out with, you know, Bloodborne, out
S1: your eyeballs and smoke coming out of your ears. That's
S1: way different than hitting the gym for, say, 30 to
S1: 45 minutes a day. You could mow through an entire
S1: loaf of healthy sourdough bread and still have a response
S1: to the Fitbits and the gluten, versus saying, having 1
S1: or 2 slices. You could eat a huge grocery shopping
S1: cart full of kale and cilantro and all sorts of
S1: things that could deleterious impact your thyroid function and your
S1: your gut comfort when consumed in high doses. But putting
S1: a little bit of greens in your smoothie every morning,
S1: or having a lunchtime salad not as big of a deal.
S1: You could sit in a sauna, right? You could take that. Whatever,
S1: you know, 5 to 7 times per week for 20
S1: to 30 minutes, and you could do a 220 minute
S1: sauna session on a Sunday morning. And absolutely, you know,
S1: put yourself at risk of cardiovascular event from the fluid
S1: loss that occurs. Well, there's a big difference, again, between
S1: drinking all of your drinks that studies have shown to
S1: be healthy on average throughout the week, all at once,
S1: versus in small micro doses throughout the week. Right. You
S1: see the same thing from microdosing with psilocybin, right? Big difference,
S1: as anybody knows, between taking a third of a gram
S1: in the morning as a microdose and hammering, you know,
S1: five grams, right. The dose is the poison. The dose
S1: in one sitting is the poison. Now, the other thing
S1: that's interesting is a lot of folks who are claiming
S1: that alcohol is bad for you are citing studies that
S1: have used genes for what's called alcohol use disorder. Alcohol
S1: use disorder? Well, I got some news for you. Alcohol
S1: use disorder is a lot different than just having some
S1: alcohol on a regular basis. It's not defined just by
S1: the amount of alcohol consumed, but is defined by things
S1: like failing to meet obligations, being totally unable to stop drinking,
S1: needing to drink, starting first thing in the morning, blacking
S1: out frequently, causing physical injury to yourself or others, and
S1: behaving in other ways that can lead to a lot
S1: of distress in yourself and in those around you. In contrast,
S1: consumption of low levels of alcohol, meaning up to one
S1: drink per day, and this is all based in research
S1: that I will link to from the show, notes Ben Greenfield.
S1: life.com/alcohol podcast is associated with brace Yourself, a 26% lower
S1: risk of heart disease and a 24% lower risk of
S1: all cause mortality, a 24% lower risk of all cause mortality. Now,
S1: how could this be the case? Well, it's interesting because yes,
S1: alcohol is a toxin. But believe it or not, there
S1: is a lot of toxins in a lot of what
S1: you put into your body. Plants, herbs, spices, carbs, protein, fat,
S1: you name it. Alcohol is a macronutrient, meaning it can
S1: be burnt and consumed and used to generate ATP energy.
S1: It's metabolized to something called acetaldehyde, which you may have
S1: heard of before. That, when builds up in high amounts,
S1: is somewhat toxic, but then it goes on to form
S1: a short chain fatty acid, acetate in the mitochondria. That
S1: acetate then can be used to to to produce ATP
S1: to be metabolized as the same what's called acetyl CoA
S1: that you'd obtain from oxidizing protein and fat and carbohydrate ethanol.
S1: The actual alcohol you would find in wine or beer
S1: or vodka or a Moscow mule or whatever, uh, its
S1: metabolism is very similar to the type of longer chain
S1: alcohols that you also find in whole grains, in plant foods,
S1: in B products, even in insects. You know, a lot
S1: of people doing like cricket protein powder and the like. Well,
S1: a lot of what's in there is very similar to
S1: the short chain fatty alcohols found in alcohol. Now, of course,
S1: in high amounts these aldehydes can be toxic. They can
S1: be very reactive, but they're found in a lot of
S1: foods that go beyond alcohol. There's another toxin that you'll
S1: find in alcohol called methyl glycol. Methyl glycol very similar
S1: to acetaldehyde. It has three carbons rather than two. We
S1: don't have to get into the biochemistry of it too much,
S1: but it has based on that, about double the power
S1: to cause damage compared to acetaldehyde. You find methyl glycol, however,
S1: not just in alcohol but also derived in small amounts
S1: from carbohydrate and from protein and from fat. Yes, you
S1: could get way too much acetaldehyde all at once, and
S1: you could get way too much methyl glycol all at once.
S1: But look at acetaldehyde. You find it naturally in fruits
S1: and vegetables. In fact, vegetables have more acetaldehyde than wine does.
S1: Cider has more acetaldehyde than vodka does, right? It's not
S1: that acetaldehyde and methyl glycol are bad. You're consuming them
S1: all the time, even if you don't drink alcohol. The
S1: problem is how much gets into your body all at once,
S1: and how equipped you are to be able to metabolize that.
S1: You can even say the same parallel between alcohol consumption
S1: and carbohydrates, right? It's not about carbohydrates being bad for you.
S1: It's about the possibility of you consuming a huge high
S1: dose of sugar all at once. That spikes your blood
S1: sugar and causes some insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance type
S1: of issues. Right? So all toxins, including those in alcohol,
S1: have the power to cause a hormone effect. What that
S1: means is they can upregulate enzymes necessary for their metabolism,
S1: which often go on to help you increase cellular resilience
S1: and increase your levels of endogenous antioxidants that your body
S1: uses to fight against reactive oxygen species. In the case
S1: of alcohol, you see an upregulation in, for example, a
S1: superoxide dismutase and glutathione production. Those are antioxidants that your
S1: body steps up its production of in response to alcohol intake.
S1: In the same way that you produce endogenous antioxidants, new mitochondria,
S1: new muscle fibers, heat shock proteins, etc. from exercise, from sauna,
S1: from cold therapy, from plants and herbs and spices. So
S1: the idea here is that, yes, alcohol is a toxin.
S1: Alcohol is a stressor. But just because something is a
S1: stress or a toxin does not mean that you're going
S1: to stop all stress from exercise, from sauna, from cold,
S1: from calorie restriction, from anything else. So that's the first thing.
S1: The first point that I really want to get across
S1: to you is that with alcohol, yes, it's a stressor,
S1: but it appears that somewhere right around the range of
S1: one half to one drink per day, spread out consistently
S1: throughout the week without excess intake or high volume intake
S1: is in fact something that can be protective and beneficial.
S1: I haven't been drunk in probably more than 15 years,
S1: but I average you know, I would say I average
S1: 5 to 7 drinks a week besides a few weeks.
S1: You know, I've had some months where I just don't
S1: drink alcohol in the same way. I'll have some months
S1: that I lower my carbon take or some. Weeks where
S1: I restrict calories, or certain days where I'm lower on protein,
S1: or certain weeks where I'm lower on red meat. Right.
S1: It's not a rule that I have to drink alcohol
S1: every night, but for the most part, it is a
S1: staple in my routine, and I actually feel as though
S1: it's wonderful for social gatherings. As a palate cleanser, I
S1: enjoy the taste of a nice glass of organic biodynamic wine.
S1: I enjoy ordering an old fashioned at a restaurant and
S1: sipping on that as I talk to friends. So basically,
S1: that's my take on the actual damages that could be
S1: potential from alcohol and the actual data on longevity. And
S1: I'll link to Chris Mastodons article in the show notes
S1: for for this podcast again at Ben Greenfield life.com/alcohol podcast.
S1: But pause for me for a second. Take a shot,
S1: take a sip of your drink, or just have some
S1: electrolytes and minerals, maybe some hydrogen tablets dissolved in water.
S1: And we'll go on to the next part of what
S1: I want to fill you in on, because in addition
S1: to being asked many times whether or not alcohol is
S1: healthy and why I'm not on the alcohol is completely
S1: bad for you baby talk bandwagon. I'm also asking if
S1: there are certain things that I consume along with alcohol,
S1: to assist with the metabolism of some of the toxins
S1: in alcohol, or to help ease some of the toxic
S1: side effects. And a lot of people will say, well, Ben,
S1: you just said that those toxic side effects and the
S1: oxidative stress that's created is good for you. Why would
S1: you want to stop any of that? Well, look, I
S1: take a pre-workout before I go work out and a
S1: post-workout to help repair some of the muscle damage, you know,
S1: things like creatine or colostrum or amino acids or fish oil.
S1: When I'm in the sauna, I replace electrolytes and minerals,
S1: and I even take things before the sauna to help
S1: enhance blood flow, like niacin, for example. When I go
S1: do cold, I like to take something that will increase
S1: the brown fat activation, like grains of Paradise from my
S1: pepper grinder or bitter melon extract, or berberine, or green tea. Uh,
S1: anything that I do, I'm constantly looking at ways I
S1: can optimize that, help the body recover faster, and still
S1: reap the benefits of the response to this variety of activities.
S1: You know, I'll even consume digestive enzymes right when I
S1: have a meal, or I will have gluten guardian when
S1: I even have a slice of sourdough bread, just to
S1: help myself process those carbohydrates a little bit better. In
S1: the same way that I might have a blood glucose
S1: stabilizing agent prior to dessert, like a shot of apple
S1: cider vinegar, or some key on lean, or some berberine
S1: or something that will allow me to sort of have
S1: my cake and eat it too, and still reap the
S1: benefits from said cake. I have the same take on alcohol,
S1: so let's talk about some of the things I would
S1: do if I were drinking to make drinking arguably even
S1: more healthy. The first is something that you'll see pop
S1: up a lot nowadays in these hangover remedies. And hangover
S1: pills is something that I've been using for quite some
S1: time that I get dirt cheap on Amazon, even though
S1: you can get it in fancier and fancier compounds these days,
S1: it's called DM. DM stands for a little bit of
S1: a mouthful here. Die Hydro Morriston Die Hydro Meristem. Now
S1: it's actually an extract from the Japanese raisin tree, which
S1: is sexy in and of itself. That's a good enough
S1: reason to take DM, if you ask me. Just just
S1: for the Japanese raisin tree that you're consuming that you
S1: can brag to your friends about, but they they did
S1: a study on, it really didn't come to the spotlight
S1: until 2012. And there was this professor from the UCLA
S1: School of Medicine, and he gave mice DM and then
S1: got him drunk. Can't do these kind of studies in humans,
S1: I believe, due to ethical reasons. But little drunk mice
S1: are okay. So what they test was whether dehydrated Ariston
S1: which I'm going to start calling DM from now on
S1: so I don't twist my tongue too poorly here. So
S1: DM blocks the effect alcohol has on Gaba and glutamate
S1: neurotransmitters in the brain. Now normally alcohol binds to Gaba
S1: receptors and activates them, leading to relaxation, social lubrication, and
S1: sometimes excess confidence. Slurred speech with too much impaired motor function,
S1: a feeling of being intoxicated. That's actually why sometimes alcohol
S1: can wake you, or you can wake up in the
S1: wee hours after you've had a few glasses of wine,
S1: for example, because you get flooded with Gaba and then
S1: it wears off, and then you wake up in the
S1: same way that a high sugar meal prior to bed
S1: could cause a spike in blood sugar, and then you
S1: wake up later on due to the hypoglycemia that occurs
S1: as a rebound response to that. Well, what does it
S1: blocks these Gaba receptors. And when you block the Gabba
S1: receptors you don't feel the alcohol as much. It basically
S1: prevents intoxication. They even did a very interesting study where
S1: they administered a fluid, which is a drug that blocks
S1: the Gabba receptors. And all the benefits of DM on
S1: reducing intoxication were totally lost because the fluid arsenal was
S1: keeping the DM from blocking those Gaba receptors. Now, this
S1: is an interesting practical takeaway if you, like me, are
S1: just having one drink and. You actually want to have
S1: that drink not only for, say, the palate cleansing effect
S1: or the enjoyment of the flavor, but because you do
S1: want to spend a few dials, right? You want to
S1: relax a little bit. Not that I'm saying we should
S1: use alcohol as a crutch or anything else. You know,
S1: weed or other supplements as a way to battle stress, right?
S1: We need to address the underlying issue. You shouldn't drink
S1: at the end of the day because you're stressed. That's
S1: not a good reason to drink, in my opinion. But
S1: if you want to relax a little bit, it's nice
S1: to be able to feel the effects of alcohol. So
S1: what I'm getting at here is if you want to
S1: feel the effects of alcohol, don't take the anti hangover
S1: party drug DM or party supplement DM before drinking, or
S1: you're going to need to drink more to feel it.
S1: And by the nature of drinking more, you do put
S1: yourself at that risk of exceeding the acetaldehyde or methyl
S1: glycol exposure. That would be appropriate in small amounts but
S1: harmful in larger amounts. So basically, if you want to
S1: fill your alcohol and you have one of these fancy
S1: DM anti hangover remedy capsules, don't take it before you
S1: start drinking. However DM does something else. It accelerates the
S1: breakdown of alcohol. So what it does is it increases
S1: the activity of the liver enzymes ADH and LDH, alcohol
S1: dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase which help your body to metabolize alcohol.
S1: So alcohol dehydrogenase ADH metabolizes alcohol to acetaldehyde, which can
S1: cause hangover symptoms. But then LDH metabolizes acetaldehyde to that
S1: relatively harmless byproduct. I was talking about earlier, acetate, which
S1: is either used for metabolism or safely flushed out of
S1: your body. So if you want to limit the buildup
S1: of acetaldehyde using DM after drinking all the way up
S1: to as late as the morning after can take the
S1: edge off of the acetaldehyde buildup. And so because of that,
S1: it's quite common that when I'm having my evening glass
S1: of wine, I don't take the DM. Prior to that,
S1: I used to until I found out this information about
S1: Gaba and glutamate. Now I'll take a little DM right
S1: after usually just, you know, while I'm cleaning up the
S1: kitchen after dinner, you know, after I've had a drink,
S1: I'll have the DM. Okay. So that's important for another
S1: reason that I'll get to later. And that's the fact
S1: that sometimes it helps with your detoxification to take a
S1: binder right before you go to bed. If you take
S1: the DM right before you go to bed, whatever binding
S1: agent that you use is going to bind the DM
S1: and render it less effective and just basically turn it
S1: into expensive pee or poop, as the binding case may be.
S1: So basically, this is why you take the DM for example.
S1: You know, as you're walking home from the restaurant out
S1: to your car, as you're cleaning the kitchen after dinner,
S1: not right before you go to bed if you're taking
S1: a binding agent. So, um, why would you take a
S1: binding agent? I'll get to that later, but it might
S1: be things that you consume along with the alcohol, like
S1: vegetable oils. If you were out at a restaurant, it
S1: might be concerns about sulfites, pesticides, herbicides and a drink. If,
S1: for example, it wasn't organic wine, it might be other
S1: fillers that you could be concerned about from your meal
S1: or in the alcohol. So there is a good case
S1: to be made for taking a binder. Just don't take
S1: any of your other hangover remedies or alcohol processing remedies
S1: at the same time as you take the binder. I
S1: will put a link in the show notes to some
S1: of my favorite sources for DM, but you can find
S1: this stuff pretty dirt cheap on Amazon. That's usually where
S1: I get it. Sometimes I'm just getting the best price
S1: because DM is DM is DM. I think, uh, Mikaela Peterson,
S1: Jordan Peterson's daughter, I believe she just sent me a
S1: bottle of her party remedy, and I think that it
S1: actually has DM in it, FYI. So that's that's one
S1: you could use if you want to support the Peterson family.
S1: So another very, very interesting compound that can also break
S1: down acetaldehyde is one that I've done a whole podcast on.
S1: It is a probiotic. It's called Z biotics. It works
S1: incredibly well. You could choose between taking this or taking
S1: DM because they're both going to do the same thing.
S1: They break down acetaldehyde. You don't need to take both
S1: at the same time. You could take one or the
S1: other could be a matter of personal preference. Could be
S1: how you feel when you test one versus the other.
S1: But Z biotics is very interesting. I'll link to the
S1: whole interview that I did with the guy who founded
S1: Z biotics. I think his name is Zach, but they
S1: took a bacteria and they figured out how to engineer
S1: it using genetic engineering, which isn't all bad, right? Genetic
S1: engineering is not necessarily something that's going to make you
S1: grow a third eye. It can be used simply to
S1: cause bacteria to produce certain enzymes. And in this case,
S1: what they took was a strain of bacteria called um
S1: uh subtilis. And they transferred the trait for acetaldehyde breakdown
S1: from the liver, that same acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme, into the
S1: probiotic bacteria. So now the probiotic makes acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in
S1: your gut, which then breaks down the acetaldehyde for you.
S1: It is side effect free. It works very well. It's
S1: just a basic bacteria in. Out of your system. It
S1: doesn't hang around in there, and it essentially allows your
S1: body to get the benefits of drinking without necessarily having
S1: as much acetaldehyde buildup. Now, it would be interesting. I'm
S1: sure some of you have thought of this, to see
S1: a study where they were able to look at the
S1: mitochondrial proliferation, or the production of superoxide dismutase or other
S1: endogenous antioxidants that occur in response to one drink. If
S1: you were to have one of these anti hangover products
S1: before you have the drink versus if you weren't and
S1: the the theory here would be that if you if
S1: you digest too much of the toxin yourself by using
S1: one of these supplements, do you limit the benefits of
S1: the alcohol in the same way that some studies have
S1: shown that if you take a bunch of vitamin C
S1: and vitamin E after workout, or you go hit the
S1: cold punch for too long after workout, you limit the
S1: hermetic effect of the workout. So this is tricky. You
S1: don't really know, but I can tell you that I
S1: feel pretty good when I use the Z biotics for
S1: the DM subjectively when I drink versus when I don't.
S1: So I would suspect that based on what I've seen
S1: from Chris Mastodons writing that most of the benefits of
S1: drinking kick in at about half a drink, and most
S1: of the deleterious effects of drinking tend to kick in
S1: after 1 to 2 drinks. So if you are having
S1: the equivalent of one full drink and you take something
S1: that helps you to break down the acetaldehyde or the
S1: ethanol or the methyl glycol prior to that drink, then
S1: you're probably still getting a lot of the benefits of
S1: that half drink that maybe still is producing a little
S1: bit of acetaldehyde or other so-called toxins in your system.
S1: So anyway, the Z biotics is super interesting, and that's
S1: something you would take before you start drinking. You want
S1: to in your system, when you start drinking, it's a
S1: little shot. It's liquid. It's a little bit less convenient than, say,
S1: a couple capsules of DM, but that would be another
S1: thing that can be helpful when it comes to to drinking. Now,
S1: the last thing that you want to think about from
S1: a supplement standpoint is a binder, a binder. So a
S1: binder is basically a specific compound that will bind toxins
S1: or other metabolites and remove them via the digestive tract,
S1: typically via the stool, so they're not reabsorbed into the body.
S1: These are typically taken orally in a pill or powder
S1: or a tincture form. The one that I use is
S1: made by Quicksilver Scientific. It is their their detox binder.
S1: It's basically activated charcoal and aloe vera and a few
S1: other choice compounds. Binders can be used for heavy metals,
S1: for mycotoxins, for plastic particles, for pesticides, for herbicides, for
S1: volatile organic compounds, and even for things like acetaldehyde or
S1: the toxic byproducts of alcohol. So what happens usually is
S1: your liver is your main detox organ. It can remove
S1: a lot of toxic chemicals on its own using the
S1: liver's antioxidant pathways. But it does this by creating bile,
S1: which is a digestive fluid that flows through the liver, or,
S1: I'm sorry, from the liver, through the intestines to help
S1: break down fats for digestion and absorption. Now, since a
S1: lot of toxins are fat soluble, they enter the bile.
S1: And in a perfect world, the toxins move with the
S1: bile through the intestines, out of the body, through the stool.
S1: But your gut lining is made of pretty delicate tissues
S1: with veins and nerves that can pick up these toxins
S1: and recirculate them. And that's where binders come in. Binders
S1: attached to metals or chemicals or bio toxins and the like,
S1: and then shuttles them to safety out of the digestive
S1: tract without the risk of reabsorption and recirculation. So this
S1: binder just sits in your digestive tract and grabs the
S1: stuff before it gets reabsorbed. And this can also help
S1: reduce stress on, you know, other elimination and detox organs
S1: like the liver and the kidney help prevent inflammatory reactions,
S1: help with uncomfortable detox symptoms. And a lot of popular
S1: binders would be things like chlorella, charcoal, clay, and zeolites
S1: like like bentonite clay fruit pectin is a very popular one.
S1: That's a fiber. It's highly absorptive and beneficial for binding
S1: things like heavy metals and mycotoxins and herbicides and pesticides.
S1: It's not as strong as charcoal or clay, but it
S1: does have a lot of benefits, especially for the gut,
S1: especially for people who have constipation, humic acid and full acid.
S1: These are interesting. They're made up of negatively charged atoms
S1: that attract positively charged mineral particles like heavy metals, and
S1: these can be very useful for binding and taking metals
S1: out of your body. Silica is another one. Silica is
S1: very good for binding aluminum. It can bind to other
S1: metals as well. And that, uh, that Quicksilver Scientific one
S1: I told you about, it contains a lot of these
S1: different compounds all at once, but charcoal is the main
S1: superstar of that one. Charcoal is a broad spectrum binder. Now,
S1: charcoal is very powerful, even though I like it as
S1: a binding agent that I take before bed. And it
S1: helped me out quite a bit when I had mold
S1: and mycotoxins exposure. It will absorb anything you take along
S1: with it any of your expensive supplements, your your sleep stuff, whatever.
S1: So you have to time the charcoal. Usually for me
S1: it's like the last thing I do right before I
S1: fall asleep is I. The charcoal binder, and that's usually
S1: at least a half hour, up to 60 minutes after
S1: I've taken things like melatonin, relaxation compounds, magnesium that DM
S1: I was talking about. So if you use a binder,
S1: you basically want at least a good 30 to 60
S1: minutes after you've consumed some of your other compounds. If
S1: you don't want to soak all that stuff up. Um,
S1: now another interesting one is Chlorella. Chlorella doesn't seem to
S1: bind the beneficial stuff quite as much as this blue
S1: green algae that's rich in vitamins and minerals and amino
S1: acids and omega three fatty acids. And it does bind,
S1: but it's not quite as powerful, and it doesn't excrete
S1: essential minerals. So Chlorella is safer if you don't want
S1: to get nutritional deficiencies. If you don't want to soak
S1: up a lot of your spendy supplements, I would say
S1: that's one that's going to have the least effect. If
S1: you just want to take a binder and you don't
S1: want to fuss around with timing, everything else is chlorella.
S1: And I would say fruit pectin is pretty good for this.
S1: Maybe the humic and phobic acids as well. A few
S1: good brands besides Quicksilver Scientific, the brand Beam Minerals. They
S1: have these bottles of humic and folic acid that are
S1: just fantastic. Uh, for Chlorella, you want good organic, like
S1: cracked cell wall chlorella. I think this company energy bits,
S1: they make one called recovery bits. That's pretty good for that.
S1: You can chew them, you can swallow them. But basically
S1: a binder would be something that you'd use right before
S1: you go to bed at night. And that can help
S1: out quite a bit with absorbing anything else that you
S1: might have had with the meal or with the alcohol.
S1: This is interesting for anyone who wants a done for you.
S1: Complete biohacking at home. I am selling my entire tricked
S1: out house located on eight and a half acres of
S1: forested land in Spokane, Washington. It includes a guesthouse, pool house, barn,
S1: whole setup for garden goats, chickens, herbs, firepit along with
S1: a ton of biohacking goodies. The air, the light, the water,
S1: the electricity is all completely tricked out for optimized human biology.
S1: The highest quality air filtration systems, natural lighting friendly to
S1: circadian rhythms, low EMF dirty electricity filters, EMF blocking equipment throughout.
S1: Built to be off grid when necessary with buried propane
S1: and solar grid toxin free and low VOC construction materials.
S1: The most advanced water filtration systems one can find a
S1: massive vegetable garden, greenhouse, herb garden, outdoor firepit, goat and
S1: chicken grazing pasture and barn, all in a beautiful forest
S1: that's about 25 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes
S1: from downtown. This can all be yours if you're looking
S1: for a place to get away in a safe, natural
S1: area and you're looking for the best of the best
S1: bio hacks done for you, here's where you can go
S1: to check it out and to fill out a form
S1: with your interest. Bio hacked. Spoke an home com that's
S1: bio hacked Spokane home.com. Check it out. So we've got Dmh.
S1: We've got Z biotics and we've got binders is three
S1: things that can help to mitigate some of the potential
S1: deleterious effects of too much of an alcohol based toxin.
S1: And then of course, just electrolytes and minerals and good hydration.
S1: So the next thing that I'm often asked is, well, Ben,
S1: when you drink, what do you drink? Well, I have
S1: a whole list of healthy cocktails and even mocktails in
S1: my cookbooks. Boundless Kitchen and Boundless Cookbook. Uh, I've I've
S1: saved a ton of my different recipes for homemade Moscow
S1: mules and vinegar shrub drinks and the like and put
S1: them all in there. But a few of the things
S1: that I tend to turn to in my own little
S1: bartending laboratory at home, I always have lemon juice, apple
S1: cider vinegar, and bitters. The main reason for those is
S1: that when I mix them in with, say, a little
S1: clean burning mezcal, uh, tequila. Mezcal is very clean gins,
S1: very clean vodkas, very clean. I'll mix the lemon, the
S1: apple cider vinegar and or the, um, the vinegar shrub
S1: or the bitters in with some soda water and one
S1: of these clean burning alcohols, about a shot or so.
S1: And the cool thing about these bitters is not only
S1: do they help to step up the liver's detox pathways,
S1: but they also are acting as glucose disposal agents, meaning
S1: they will lower the glycemic index of anything that they're
S1: consumed with. Thus, you have a lower blood sugar response
S1: to your drink and a lower blood sugar response to
S1: any carbohydrates that you might consume with dinner. I also
S1: am a huge fan of dry farm wines. Dry farm
S1: refers to wines that have been taken from, as the
S1: name implies, farms that use low amounts of irrigation. When
S1: you don't irrigate a crop as heavily, you get a
S1: less sugary wine, a wine that's lower in alcohol, but
S1: a wine that's more concentrated in antioxidants. It's very similar
S1: to how like a wild beat up. Plant is more
S1: healthy for you than, say, like the big, fluffy, pretty
S1: sugary produce you might get from the grocery store because
S1: it's higher in its ability to spark your own endogenous
S1: antioxidant production, while usually being lower in sugars like, uh,
S1: like fructose, for example. So the idea here is that
S1: when I'm making a cocktail, the base is usually lemon juice,
S1: apple cider vinegar, vinegar, shrub and or bitters, a little
S1: bit of soda water than a clean burning alcohol. Or
S1: like I mentioned, this organic biodynamic dry farm wine. So
S1: I get a shipment of six bottles of wine each
S1: month from Dry farm wines. It's usually all European. It's
S1: all selected to be organic, biodynamic, even if it's not
S1: certified organic. They do their research. I've interviewed their founder,
S1: Todd White. I'll link to that interview in the show notes,
S1: along with the interview with the Z biotics Guy and
S1: everything else. If you go to Ben Greenfield Live.com slash
S1: alcohol podcast, but I would say the superstar that we
S1: really love, my wife and I both make vinegar, shrubs, vinegar, shrubs.
S1: When I interviewed TJ Robinson, the vinegar hunter who finds
S1: all these artisanal vinegars that he sends to me and
S1: packages up as like a quarterly send out, he told
S1: me about vinegar shrubs. And this was a few years ago.
S1: I've been making them ever since. So shrubs are very,
S1: very simple to make. Usually it's a 1 to 1
S1: ratio of fruit, sugar and vinegar, a 1 to 1
S1: ratio of fruit, sugar and vinegar. And you can drink
S1: this shrub that you make as something that you might
S1: have alcohol free over ice and soda water. My wife
S1: does that quite a bit. Or you can add a
S1: little bit of your mezcal tequila or your gin or
S1: your vodka, or a clean burning alcohol like that to
S1: the shrub. Sometimes I'll even make a sangria right where
S1: I'll do like half wine, half shrub, a little bit
S1: of soda water. It tastes fantastic. So a good place
S1: to start for a basic what's called cold process shrub
S1: is you do a pound of fruit, two cups of
S1: sugar and two cups of vinegar, and for a heated
S1: process you go with a pound of fruit, cup of sugar,
S1: a cup of water and one cup of vinegar. Uh,
S1: and again, I've got a whole recipe for some of
S1: my favorite shrubs in my boundless cook or in a boundless, uh, kitchen.
S1: But basically, we keep this shrub, this vinegar shrub in
S1: a glass mason jar in the fridge, a big old
S1: glass mason jar. And then we can use that as
S1: a base for a drink. So, uh, the, the sugar
S1: actually tends to be something that's balanced very much by
S1: the glycemic index lowering effect of the vinegar. But let
S1: me give you an example of like a cold processed shrub.
S1: So you take that mix that one to 1 to
S1: 1 mix that I talked about in the cold. One's
S1: easier to describe. So that's why I'm going to describe
S1: that one to you. So 1 to 1 to one
S1: ratio of fruit to sugar to vinegar. So again for
S1: a cold processed shrub you'd have a pound of chopped fruit,
S1: two cups of sugar and two cups of vinegar. And
S1: then what you do is you take your sugar and
S1: your fruit and you combine them. You just mash it
S1: all in a bowl, the fruit and the sugar. You
S1: let that sit for about two days on your kitchen counter.
S1: So it's going to ferment a little bit. It's going
S1: to start to look really juicy. Then after a couple
S1: of days of that just sitting on your counter, right,
S1: that mix of fruit and sugar fermenting and sitting on
S1: the counter, you strain the mixture into a measuring cup.
S1: You get rid of all the fruit pulp and everything,
S1: and then you combine that. It's basically like a syrup
S1: that you've made. You combine that with an equal amount
S1: of vinegar, just adding slowly as you go, tasting a
S1: little bit as you go along. And then when you finish,
S1: you can put a little bit extra fruit in there
S1: if you want to, but basically you've just got your
S1: liquid and that's it. You pour it into a jar,
S1: you stick it in the fridge, right. So you basically
S1: got fruit and sugar fermenting for a couple of days
S1: on the counter. Then you add the vinegar, you put
S1: it into a jar. You're good to go. Of course,
S1: after you, after you strain out the fruit bits for
S1: a hot shrub, it's pretty similar. You heat the fruit
S1: and the sugar together. You let it bubble for a while,
S1: and then you stir in the vinegar. And it's just
S1: a way to speed up the process. But I think
S1: the cold shrub, you get way better flavor. And I
S1: think that fermentation will also lower the glycemic index a
S1: little bit in the shrub. But there's recipes for like
S1: watermelon mint and cider shrub cranberry apple shrub, tomato shrub.
S1: It's fantastic. If you learn how to make a shrub,
S1: you're going to be a great bartender. You can impress
S1: your friends, you can be able to make fantastic drinks,
S1: and it's a healthy way to have your alcohol. So
S1: consider making a shrub drink. What else do I make? Uh,
S1: I sometimes do go alcohol free and opt for ketones instead.
S1: So there is a ketone called one three butane dial,
S1: which seems to have very similar socially lubricating and relaxing
S1: effects as alcohol, but with none of the acetaldehyde or
S1: the methyl glycol or anything. So you aren't going to
S1: get the hermetic benefits, but you do get a lot
S1: of the benefits of drinking your way into ketosis. One
S1: company that does this is ketone aid. They have like
S1: a Moscow mule ketone flavor. They've got gin and tonic. Uh,
S1: last night I was drinking there. It's like a, um,
S1: it's almost like a margarita flavor. I forget the name
S1: of it, but it's fantastic. I think they have a
S1: mojito one. They've got a champagne. They used to have
S1: a beer for a while. I didn't really care for it.
S1: It tastes like a light beer. Uh, you don't really
S1: want to mix it with alcohol. Uh, it seems to
S1: produce excess tiredness when you mix one of these. Ketone
S1: one three butane dial alcohol alternatives with alcohol. But. Great
S1: if you want to have a cocktail without the alcohol.
S1: All sometimes do that as well. On nights that I
S1: don't drink, or on nights where I want a little
S1: bit of a change up. Um, those are really the basics.
S1: It's organic biodynamic wine, mezcal, gin or, I'm sorry, mezcal, tequila,
S1: gin or vodka that's mixed with soda water or vinegar,
S1: scrub apple cider vinegar or bitters. And then sometimes these
S1: ketone drinks. And then when I'm out and about, I'm
S1: at a restaurant. A lot of times you don't know
S1: the source of the wine, but in three countries, here's
S1: a trivia question for you. Three countries still tend to
S1: use really good old world, organic, biodynamic methods for preparing wine.
S1: And if you look at the wine menu, you'd want
S1: to look for these three countries. And this is what
S1: I do when I'm out and about. And it doesn't
S1: necessarily indicate whether or not a wine is organic on
S1: the menu. It's France, New Zealand and Italy. France, New
S1: Zealand and Italy are three pretty safe countries to choose from.
S1: If you're going to do a wine when you're out
S1: and about. I also will scan the cocktail menu for
S1: whichever cocktail is the lowest, and added sugars and syrups
S1: and the highest, and bitters and herbs and spices. I'm
S1: a real sucker for an old fashioned, so usually I'll
S1: do whatever that restaurant or bars twist on. An old
S1: fashioned is, uh, I'll look for mezcal, gin again. Vodka,
S1: or I'll keep messing that up. Uh, you'd think I'd
S1: know by now. Mezcal. Tequila. Gin or vodka as a
S1: as a base. And then a lot of times, I
S1: really like to check out what kind of bitters that
S1: a restaurant has on the menu. And I will often
S1: have a cocktail and then follow that up with just
S1: a splash of soda water, a little bit of a
S1: wedge of lemon and some bitters. And I've hung out
S1: at parties for hours, having had one drink but not
S1: making other people feel awkward because I'm walking around the
S1: party the rest of the time, literally drinking bitters and
S1: soda water on ice with a little bit of lemon
S1: or lime, and sometimes a splash of juice like pomegranate
S1: juice or cranberry juice or whatever they might happen to
S1: have there at the bar. So those are some of
S1: the alcohol options, plenty more in Boundless Cookbook and Boundless Kitchen,
S1: my two cookbooks. But these are some of the other
S1: things that I bear in mind when I'm drinking alcohol
S1: as far as my actual choices. So we have covered
S1: today the hermetic effects of alcohol and how it's really
S1: the dose that's the poison and how much you drink
S1: at once, and establish the fact that about one half
S1: to one drink a day, on average, is really not
S1: a big deal and may in fact have a health
S1: promoting effect. We've established the fact that there's a big
S1: difference between that and, say, alcohol use disorder, which I
S1: think would be an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. We've also
S1: gone into some things you could consume along with alcohol,
S1: like DM uh, not necessarily before, but after the alcohol,
S1: a Z biotics, which you would have before you have alcohol,
S1: and even a binder that you might take before bed
S1: at night. And again, for me, the binder isn't every night,
S1: but particularly if I've been eating out at a restaurant,
S1: I'm using the binder not just because I'm not 100%
S1: sure of what's in many of these cocktails that they
S1: add in, and the the nature of the ingredients and
S1: the herbicides and the pesticides, etc. but also because I
S1: often don't know the same thing about the presence of
S1: seed oils or, you know, whether or not the beef
S1: was organic at the restaurant. So I'm not necessarily walking
S1: in there and annoying the host or the waiter or
S1: the waitress with this laundry list of foods I can eat,
S1: and I'm instead often just like enjoying my meal, then
S1: taking a binder later on. We've talked about the different
S1: alcohol choices that can be good, including the fantastic idea
S1: of making your own vinegar shrub. And hopefully I've answered
S1: more questions than I've generated, but those are some of
S1: my answers to some of the main questions that I
S1: received when I started talking about alcohol during my tour
S1: of India, and that I wanted to kind of address
S1: on this podcast. So again, all the show notes are
S1: going to be at Ben Greenfield Live.com Slash Alcohol podcast.
S1: I hope this has been helpful and educational. Hopefully it'll
S1: entertaining for you. And if you have questions or comments
S1: or feedback, leave them on the show notes, leave the
S1: podcast a review. And thanks so much for listening in
S1: to this special episode on all things alcohol. Do you
S1: want free access to comprehensive Shownotes? My weekly roundup newsletter,
S1: cutting edge research and articles. Top recommendations from me for
S1: everything that you need to hack your life, and a
S1: whole lot more. Check out Ben Greenfield life.com. It's all
S1: there Ben Greenfield life.com. See you over there. Most of
S1: you who listen don't subscribe like or rate this show.
S1: If you're one of those people who do. Then huge
S1: thank you. But here's why. It's important to subscribe, like
S1: and or rate this show. If you do that, that
S1: means we get more eyeballs, we get higher rankings, and
S1: the bigger the Ben Greenfield Life Show gets, the bigger
S1: and better than gasket and the better the content I'm
S1: able to deliver to you. So hit subscribe, leave a ranking,
S1: leave a review. If you got a little extra time,
S1: it means way more than you might.
UU: I think. Thank you so much.
S1: In compliance with the FTC guidelines, please assume the following
S1: about links and posts on this site. Most of the
S1: links going to products are often affiliate links, of which
S1: I receive a small commission from sales of certain items,
S1: but the price is the same for you. And sometimes
S1: I even get to share a unique and somewhat significant
S1: discount with you. In some cases, I might also be
S1: an investor in a company I mention. I'm the founder,
S1: for example, of Keon LLC, the makers of Keon branded
S1: supplements and products, which I talk about quite a bit.
S1: Regardless of the relationship, if I post or talk about
S1: an affiliate link to a product, it is indeed something
S1: I personally use. Support and with full authenticity and transparency,
S1: recommend in good conscience. I personally vet each and every
S1: product that I talk about. My first priority is providing
S1: valuable information and resources to you that help you positively
S1: optimize your mind, body, and spirit. And I'll only ever
S1: link to products or resources, affiliate or otherwise, that fit
S1: within this purpose. So there's your fancy legal disclaimer.