There are several unwritten “rules” when it comes to alcohol: whiskey makes you aggressive, wine turns you emotional, and tequila? It’s the devil in a bottle.

关于酒精，有一些不成文的“规矩”或说法：威士忌会让你变得好斗，葡萄酒会让你变得情绪化，那么龙舌兰酒呢？它简直就是瓶中的魔鬼。

But in recent years, tequila’s reputation has shifted. Once the fuel of spring-break regrets, it’s now touted as the “cleanest” option at the bar—low-calorie, additive-free, and even hangover-proof. But is there really such a thing as a healthier alcohol?

近年来，龙舌兰酒的声誉有所转变。它曾是春假里让人放纵、事后懊悔的“燃料”，如今却被吹捧为酒吧里“最纯净”的选择——低卡路里、不含添加剂，甚至还能避免宿醉。但是，真的存在“更健康的酒”这种东西吗？

David Jernigan, assistant dean of public Health at Boston University, argues no: “When marketing a product that inflicts human harm, you must do everything possible to create a halo effect.” That strategy works, he adds, because most people overestimate how healthy their drinking habits really are.

波士顿大学公共卫生学院助理院长大卫·杰尼根对此表示否定：“在营销一种会伤害人类健康的产品时，你必须尽一切可能去营造一种‘光环效应’。”他补充道，这种策略之所以奏效，是因为大多数人会高估自己饮酒习惯的健康程度。

So how much truth is behind tequila’s clean image—or any claim that one kind of alcohol is better than another? Here’s what science says.

那么，龙舌兰酒的“纯净”形象——或者任何声称某种酒精比另一种更好的说法——背后有多少真实性呢？科学是这样说的。

MYTH #1: TEQUILA GETS YOU THE DRUNKEST

误区一：龙舌兰酒最容易让你醉

It’s true that distilled spirits can get you intoxicated more quickly than wine or beer, but only if consumed in larger quantities or more quickly. Chemically, tequila isn’t any more intoxicating than other alcohols. A standard drink contains roughly the same amount of ethanol—the compound that causes intoxication—no matter what form it takes, whether it’s 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled liquor, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

诚然，蒸馏酒（如烈酒）确实比葡萄酒或啤酒更容易让人醉，但这只发生在你饮用量更大或饮用速度更快的情况下。从化学角度看，龙舌兰酒的致醉性并不比其他酒类更强。根据美国国立卫生研究院（U.S. National Institutes of Health）的说法，无论是12盎司（约355毫升）的啤酒、5盎司（约148毫升）的葡萄酒，还是1.5盎司（约44毫升）的蒸馏酒（烈酒），一份标准饮品所含的乙醇（导致醉酒的化合物）含量大致相同。

What does make a difference are personal factors such as weight, genetics, age, gender, medications, and food intake. For example, chugging liquor on an empty stomach will spike your blood alcohol level far more quickly than slowly sipping a glass of wine.

真正起作用的是个人因素，例如体重、遗传、年龄、性别、药物以及食物摄入量。举例来说，空腹时猛灌烈酒会比你慢慢小酌一杯葡萄酒更快地升高你的血液酒精含量。

The idea that tequila—or any liquor—“hits harder” mostly comes down to serving size and perception. While the “one drink equals one drink” rule is helpful in theory, it’s less reliable in practice. Pours at bars can vary, wine glasses are often oversized, and most people don’t measure what they’re drinking. That inconsistency (not the alcohol type) leads people to think tequila or other spirits are stronger.

龙舌兰酒——或任何烈酒——“劲儿更大”的说法，主要归结于饮用量和主观感受。尽管“一份标准饮品即一份标准饮品”的原则在理论上很有帮助，但在实际操作中却不太可靠。酒吧里倒酒的份量可能不同，葡萄酒杯也常常偏大，而且大多数人并不会测量他们喝了多少酒。正是这种不一致性（而非酒的种类），导致人们认为龙舌兰酒或其他烈酒的劲儿更大。

MYTH #2: TEQUILA IS HANGOVER-PROOF

误区二：龙舌兰酒可以防止宿醉

While darker spirits like whiskey and bourbon typically contain more congeners—chemical byproducts of fermentation and aging that can worsen hangover symptoms—that doesn’t mean swapping your old-fashioned for tequila will keep you headache-free. Any alcohol disrupts sleep, dehydrates the body, and interferes with metabolism.

虽然威士忌（whiskey）和波本威士忌（bourbon）这类深色烈酒通常含有更多同系物（congeners）——即发酵和陈酿过程中的化学副产品，它们可能加重宿醉症状——但这并不意味着用龙舌兰酒（tequila）代替你常喝的（比如威士忌）就能让你免受头痛。任何酒精都会扰乱睡眠、使身体脱水，并干扰新陈代谢。

“Many hangover symptoms stem from lingering acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol breakdown,” explains Brooke Scheller, a doctor of clinical nutrition and author of How to Eat to Change How You Drink. Acetaldehyde builds up when the liver’s ability to process alcohol is overwhelmed, triggering inflammation, oxidative stress, and the release of cytokines—immune molecules that contribute to headache and fatigue. That’s why hydration or sugar content matters less than total ethanol load and metabolic rate.

临床营养学博士、《如何通过饮食改变饮酒习惯》一书的作者布鲁克·谢勒（Brooke Scheller）解释说：“许多宿醉症状都源于残留的乙醛，它是酒精分解产生的一种有毒副产品。”当肝脏处理酒精的能力不堪重负时，乙醛就会堆积，从而引发炎症、氧化应激，并释放细胞因子——这些免疫分子会导致头痛和疲劳。这就是为什么补水或糖分含量的重要性低于总乙醇负荷和新陈代谢率。

MYTH #3: TEQUILA AND WINE HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS

误区三：龙舌兰酒和葡萄酒有益健康

Part of tequila’s new “wellness” glow comes from confusion about where it comes from. The blue agave plant, from which tequila is made, contains natural sugars called agavins. These are non-digestible carbohydrates that act like dietary fiber and have been studied for potential benefits, such as supporting gut bacteria and regulating blood sugar.

龙舌兰酒之所以有了新的“健康光环”，部分原因在于人们对其来源存在误解。用于酿造龙舌兰酒的蓝色龙舌兰植物，含有一种名为龙舌兰素（agavins）的天然糖分。这些龙舌兰素是不可消化的碳水化合物，作用类似膳食纤维，并且已被研究发现可能具有支持肠道细菌和调节血糖等潜在益处。

But here’s the catch: agavins don’t survive the tequila-making process. During fermentation and distillation, the sugars are converted into ethanol. The healthful compounds that exist in the plant are destroyed long before your margarita hits the table.

但问题是：龙舌兰糖苷（agavins）在龙舌兰酒的制作过程中无法保留。在发酵和蒸馏过程中，这些糖分会转化为乙醇。那些存在于植物中的有益化合物，早在你的玛格丽塔酒上桌前就已经被破坏了。

Red wine earned a similar health halo thanks to antioxidants, like resveratrol, which have been linked to heart health. But newer research shows that the studies that linked resveratrol to heart health used concentrations far exceeding what’s present in wine, equivalent to consuming hundreds of glasses. As Scheller puts it: “Alcohol is a toxin. The harms outweigh any marketed benefits.”

红酒也曾因白藜芦醇（resveratrol）等抗氧化剂而获得类似的“健康光环”，这种物质一直被认为有益于心脏健康。但最新的研究表明，那些将白藜芦醇与心脏健康联系起来的研究，使用的浓度远远超过了葡萄酒中实际含有的量，相当于要喝下数百杯葡萄酒。正如谢勒（Scheller）所说：“酒精是一种毒素。它的危害远大于任何宣传的益处。”

MYTH #4: VODKA AND GIN ARE THE “CLEANEST” OPTIONS

误区四：伏特加和金酒是‘最纯净’的选择

Vodka, gin, and tequila are often marketed as “clean” because they’re distilled or made with natural ingredients. But the term “clean” isn’t regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), meaning it has no official production standard or health implications. Some spirits may be lower in sugar or free of additives, but ethanol, no matter how distilled, still damages the liver, brain, and cardiovascular system.

伏特加、金酒和龙舌兰酒经常被宣传为“干净”的酒，因为它们是蒸馏酒或由天然成分制成。然而，“干净”这个词并未受到美国烟酒税贸易局（TTB）的监管，这意味着它没有官方的生产标准，也与健康无关。尽管有些烈酒可能含糖量较低或不含添加剂，但乙醇（酒精）无论经过怎样的蒸馏，仍然会损害肝脏、大脑和心血管系统。

MYTH #5: BEER IS LESS HARMFUL THAN HARD LIQUOR

误区五：啤酒比烈性酒危害小

People often see beer and wine as “safer” because they don’t seem to hit as hard or as fast—but that’s mostly due to volume. Studies show that beer and wine are absorbed more slowly than spirits, leading to a lower peak blood alcohol concentration. This is largely because their higher water content slows absorption and drinking speed.

人们常常认为啤酒和葡萄酒“更安全”，因为它们似乎不会那么快或那么猛地让人醉倒——但这主要是由于饮用量不同。研究表明，啤酒和葡萄酒比烈酒吸收得更慢，从而导致血液酒精浓度峰值更低。这主要是因为它们较高的水分含量减缓了酒精的吸收速度和饮用速度。

Sugars, carbonation, and even the temperature of a drink can change how quickly ethanol enters the bloodstream. Carbonated drinks like beer or champagne can potentially accelerate absorption by relaxing the pyloric valve—the gate between the stomach and intestine—allowing alcohol to reach the bloodstream faster.

饮品中的糖分、碳酸含量，甚至其温度，都会影响乙醇进入血液的速度。碳酸饮料，例如啤酒或香槟，可能通过放松幽门瓣（胃和肠道之间的“阀门”）来加速吸收，从而让酒精更快地进入血液。

SO, WHICH ALCOHOL IS “BETTER FOR YOU?”

那么，哪种酒“对你更好”呢？

According to the World Health Organization, none. A 2024 report found that even at lower levels of drinking (less than seven drinks per week), there is a measurable risk of death and disease, and that the type of alcoholic beverage doesn’t make a meaningful difference.

根据世界卫生组织（World Health Organization）的说法，没有哪种酒是“对身体更好”的。2024年的一份报告发现，即使是低水平饮酒（每周少于七杯），也存在可测量的死亡和疾病风险，并且酒精饮料的种类并没有显著区别。