Can a few drinks on the weekend really make you age faster? According to health and longevity expert Dr. Daniel Pompa, the answer isn’t as simple as yes or no—it actually depends on how your body adapts to stress. In a recent video, Dr. Pompa broke down the connection between alcohol and premature aging, explaining that alcohol acts much like exercise: both can be either beneficial or harmful, depending on how your body responds.
“Exercise is a stress, alcohol is a stress,” Dr. Pompa explained. “If you adapt to either of them, they actually become positive. If you don’t adapt, they both can become negative and age you prematurely.”
This Clean, Effective Powder Helps Support Muscle Growth, Endurance, And Recovery
Why Alcohol Can Accelerate Aging
Dr. Pompa noted that excessive drinking disrupts the body’s ability to recover and maintain optimal function. Alcohol can raise heart rate, lower heart rate variability, and interfere with sleep quality—all signs that the body is under strain. “I can drink one or two drinks, that’s about it,” he shared. “After that, my Oura Ring shows a low heart rate variability and increased heart rate—it disrupts my sleep, and that’s bad for you.”
This physiological stress can lead to inflammation, oxidative damage, and dehydration, all of which contribute to common signs of premature aging—such as dull skin, fatigue, and slower metabolism. However, Dr. Pompa emphasized that the impact of alcohol varies widely between individuals.
It’s All About Adaptation
Just like not everyone can handle the same amount of exercise, not everyone metabolizes alcohol the same way. “A trained athlete can do a lot of exercise and get away with it,” Dr. Pompa said. “If you or I did that of an Olympic athlete, we would overtrain—it would be negative. So it depends. The same goes for alcohol.”
In other words, moderate drinking might not harm someone whose body adapts well, but even small amounts could have aging effects on someone more sensitive to its impact.
The bottom line
Ultimately, Dr. Pompa’s advice comes down to self-awareness. “So the answer is, you have to adapt,” he said. “Listen to your body.” If you notice that alcohol leaves you feeling groggy, bloated, or sleep-deprived, it’s likely your body isn’t adapting well—and that stress may be accelerating the aging process.
On the other hand, if occasional light drinking doesn’t disrupt your health markers, your body may be handling it just fine. Just as with exercise, moderation and recovery matter. Pay attention to how your body responds—and when in doubt, less is always more when it comes to preserving youthful health and longevity.