Is alcohol doing more damage in midlife than you realise? – with Prof David Nutt

Mar 27, 2026

59:44

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Most of us know alcohol isn’t ideal for our health. But the specific ways it affects the brain, gut, hormones and our sleep, and why those effects become more pronounced as we age, are less well understood.

Leading psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist Prof David Nutt joins Liz to explain exactly what happens in the body from the very first sip, why women become significantly more vulnerable in midlife, and what the science says about how to drink with healthy ageing in mind.

In this episode:

· Why alcohol affects women’s bodies differently – and more so in midlife

· What’s actually causing your hangover (it’s not just dehydration)

· How alcohol damages the gut and suppresses your immune system

· When even one drink disrupts deep, restorative sleep

· The brain chemical that makes us want to drink – and how to get it in other ways

· What drives addiction and why so many people use alcohol to manage stress, anxiety and trauma

· What cutting back for just one month can do for key health markers

· The growing world of functional alcohol alternatives

Links mentioned:

· Liz’s previous podcast with Prof David Nutt

· Drug Science