Podcast Summary: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Episode Title: Most Replayed Moment: Is There A Safe Amount Of Alcohol? What Happens To The Body When You Drink!
Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Steven Bartlett (A)
Guest/Expert: (B, unnamed medical expert in the provided transcript)

Overview

In this highly replayed segment of The Diary Of A CEO, Steven Bartlett sits down with a leading medical expert to challenge the widely-held beliefs about alcohol and health. Together, they trace the history of alcohol in society, dissect decades of research, and get brutally honest about the real risks—even at moderate levels of drinking. Their candid discussion reveals that, contrary to popular opinion, there may be no such thing as a safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to certain serious health outcomes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The History and Evolving Perceptions of Alcohol

• Archaeological Roots: Alcohol production dates back at least 13,000 years (00:24).
• Cultural Shifts: Ancient use was spiritual/social, not health-related. The idea of health benefits (e.g., “red wine is good for you”) is a modern notion (00:49).
• Misinterpreted Studies: Early studies suggested health benefits due to flawed comparisons—often grouping ill ex-drinkers as "non-drinkers," falsely making moderate drinkers seem healthier (01:05–01:55).

"People who are drinking even up to the moderate level were actually doing better than the people who weren't drinking at all. And so that was where that concept that drinking is good for your health came from." – B (01:23)

2. Is Any Level of Alcohol Healthy?

• No Health Benefit: There is no level of alcohol that is actually good for your health (02:31).
• Risk Framing: Alcohol is best understood like dessert or bacon—an accepted indulgence with clear health trade-offs, not a health-promoting agent (02:41).

"Don’t fool yourself into thinking that drinking that glass of wine is like going to exercise for 30 minutes. Like, it’s not something that's gonna promote your health. I think of it more like having dessert, eating bacon, going out in the sun." – B (02:35)

3. Understanding “Safe” Drinking Limits

• UK Guidelines: Low-risk limit is 14 units per week (one unit = 8g alcohol). One glass of wine can be three units—so a glass a day exceeds the guideline (03:19–04:31).
• Reality Check: People often underestimate their intake, often slipping into moderate/high risk zones (04:02–04:31).

"If I have this glass of wine every day, then I'd be over the UK limit of lower risk drinking." – A (04:28)

4. Alcohol and Cancer Risk

• Direct Cancer Link: Even low levels of drinking increase risks for certain cancers, especially breast and esophageal (05:06–07:34).
• Breast Cancer Example: Drinking at the low-risk guideline still raises a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer by about 5%. In a room of nine women, one will statistically be diagnosed in her life (05:58–06:15).
• Wider Impact: The more you drink, the more your risk of virtually all cancers rises; “dose-response” relationship established (07:36–08:11).

"There’s really no safe amount of alcohol when it comes to breast cancer." – B (07:34)
"Once you get to the moderate category, we start seeing increases...for pretty much every cancer." – B (07:36)

5. Alcohol’s Mechanisms in the Body

• Absorption and Distribution: Alcohol is absorbed rapidly, moving into the bloodstream and affecting the brain within 10 minutes (10:43–11:00).
• Gender Differences: Because women have more body fat (and less water), they feel effects more acutely (11:00–11:20).
• Alcohol as a Toxin: Body sees ethanol as poison and metabolizes it mostly in the liver, producing toxic byproducts and inflammation, both linked to increased cancer risk (12:10–13:03).

"Your body always wants to restore what's called homeostasis...ethanol is not something that belongs in your bloodstream. Your body's going to try to excrete it as fast as it can..." – B (12:13)

6. The Liver—Alcohol’s Frontline

• Vital Organ: The liver processes 90% of alcohol consumed; remarkable regenerative powers—up to a point (13:24–14:13).
• Cirrhosis Warning: Once scarring (cirrhosis) sets in, damage is often irreversible (14:13–14:45).
• Rising Young Cases: Increasing numbers of young people are dying from acute, alcohol-related liver failure, often unaware of the damage until it’s too late (15:38–16:18).

"We’re seeing younger and younger people coming in in liver failure…they often didn’t even know this was causing a problem." – B (15:58)

7. Other Liver and Body Stressors

• Beyond Alcohol: Obesity, high-sugar diets, and some medications (e.g., Tylenol) independently stress the liver (18:09–18:12).
• Binge Drinking: Large, infrequent binges are likely more damaging to the liver than steady, low-risk consumption (18:52–19:38).

8. Alcohol’s Effects Beyond the Liver

• Brain: Chronic alcohol use can dramatically shrink the brain, accelerating dementia (19:51–20:47).
• Heart: Above low-risk levels, alcohol triggers heart rhythm disorders (e.g., "holiday heart" syndrome) and can eventually cause heart failure (22:30–23:18).
• Digestive Tract: Alcohol increases risk of mouth, esophageal, and stomach cancers, plus benign conditions like acid reflux (21:34–22:30).
• Synergy of Risks: Alcohol interacts with other risk factors like smoking and obesity, compounding harm (09:46–10:05).

"You actually almost get a multiplied risk in terms of the risk of cancer [if you drink and smoke]." – B (10:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Defining Safe Intake:
  "I would never say drinking alcohol is good for your health. That doesn't mean low risk levels can't be a part of a healthy lifestyle." – B (02:31)
• On “Moderate” Drinking Misconceptions:
  "Having two glasses of wine a day is quite normal [for many]. That would make me a heavy drinker." – A (09:02)
• On Personal Risk:
  "There are individual factors that you don't have any way of knowing that are going to impact your risk of developing liver inflammation and scar tissue." – B (16:57)
• On Brain Health:
  "A 43 year old person with severe alcohol use disorder, their brain looks the way, you know, a 90 year old with dementia would look because of that brain damage over time from alcohol use." – B (20:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:24 – The ancient history of alcohol use
• 01:05 – The "J-shaped curve" and how health data was misinterpreted
• 02:31 – Definitive answer: No health benefit to alcohol
• 03:19 – UK guidelines and what counts as a unit
• 05:06 – Alcohol’s role in rising breast cancer rates
• 10:06 – Alcohol multiplies the effects of cancer-causing substances like tobacco
• 13:24 – Live anatomy: Illustration and explanation of the liver’s function
• 15:58 – Younger patients dying from alcohol-induced liver failure
• 19:51 – MRI visual: Alcohol’s shrinking effect on the brain
• 23:18 – "Holiday heart": Acute cardiac events from drinking

Conclusion

This candid episode dismantles the myth of “healthy drinking,” explaining in scientific detail how alcohol—even in small doses—can contribute to serious health risks, especially cancer and liver disease. The guest expert urges listeners to reframe alcohol as a treat with tangible risks, not a benign or beneficial habit, and to stay informed about the very real dangers even light or moderate drinking can pose.