One of Recent Health&Care Study Doubts: Is Alcohol Really THAT Dangerous
There’s so much said about alcohol, yet there remain even more strange and ambiguous things. Some say that its moderate amounts are really great for health. Others are sure that alcohol consumption must be eliminated from life for good. Who’s right? Ideas vary both between consumers and scientists. Let’s see what we at Canadian Health and Care Mall www.acanadianhealthcaremall.com have discovered about alcohol and its effects on health.
It Is Toxic and Carcinogenic. It’s No Surprise!
As known, the human organism produces around 3 grams of ethanol daily. This amount is needed for its normal functioning, and especially for the gut flora fermenting. Luckily, the body can metabolize as well as detoxify these three grams of ethanol. If it couldn’t, then daily 3 grams would turn into a huge toxin load on all the organs and the nervous system.
So, what happens when one consumes alcohol? There occur numbers of enzymatic reactions. Most of them take place in the liver. The enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase) converts ethanol to acetaldehyde. This is why most of us have the hangover symptoms. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is another enzyme that works converting the acetaldehyde into the acetic acid – vinegar. FYI, the latter compound is harmless unless you’re a vegetable salad.
! Things seem to be quite clear: we drink, the body produced enzymes that kill ethanol, we suffer from a few hangover symptoms and remain healthy. Yet things aren’t that easy. Not every person’s body can produce the same amounts of enzymes. Scientists are sure that in time it will lead to dominant gene mutation. The new mutants are going to be the same people as we are, but with higher risks for esophageal cancer or liver damage.
Excessive consumption of alcohol leads to cancer in 87% of cases affecting liver, stomach, colon and other body parts and organs. As such beverages are always toxic and inflammatory they spoil the stomach and liver flora that is hardly renewable. Liver does produce enough enzymes, yet in time their quantity reduces and the liver finds it hard to protect itself.
Which of Your Body Systems Are Affected the Most?
Doctors always say that alcohol affects practically all body systems, if not at once then gradually. Drinking too much and drinking occasionally are two different habits, yet they both have a great negative impact on:
- Your Heart
Drinking alcohol always affects one’s heart and leads to a number of related problems, namely:
- strokes;
- irregular heartbeat or arrhythmias;
- high blood pressure;
- stretching & drooping of heart muscles or cardiomyopathy.
! At the same time, trials prove that drinking a glass of red wine daily may protect one from developing coronary heart disease.
- Your Immune System
Here at Canadian Health&Care Mall we know that too much alcohol weakens your immune system. And do you know that? It is able to make the body a very easy target for a whole bunch of various diseases, from easy-to-cure ones to severe conditions. Chronic drinkers are another subject: they often suffer from pneumonia, can have tuberculosis and other serious health issues. There may be single occasions when you drink a lot and they are dangerous too! They slow down the ability of your body to oppose infections up to 24 hours after consumption.
- Your Liver
We’ve already mentioned the negative impact of alcoholic beverages on one’s liver. There are a few additional things you must be aware of. Heavy drinking leads to many liver related problems, and not only caner. It may cause fibrosis, fatty liver, cirrhosis (read more) and alcoholic hepatitis.
- Your Brain
The brain’s communication pathways are greatly affected by alcohol. It influences the way the brain works and even looks. Slow disruptions lead to behavior and mood changes, not speaking of thinking clearly and moving with coordination.
- Your Pancreas
When affected by a toxic beverage, pancreas produces toxic substances the lead to inflammation, pancreatitis, blood vessels swelling and improper digestion.
Are There any Good Sides of Alcohol Consumption?
As for today, scientists share four of them:
- protection against heart diseases;
- slowing down of aging;
- good cholesterol raising;
- protection against Alzheimer’s disease.
Drinking alcohol may add to the reduction of heart attack, and it’s true. Moderate amounts of red wine work preventing blood clotting. Some doctors even talk about dose-dependent results: the more one drinks, the more he’s protected. There’s always a huge BUT when it comes to benefits: to make use of advantages and not drawbacks, a man should have 2 drinks per day, a woman – 1 drink per day.
The aspect of aging makes more people get interested in its essence. Red wine has an element called resveratrol that slows down the process of aging substantially. It’s hard to speak of absolute results as no researches showed 100% satisfying effects, but benefits are observed!
Raising important HDL cholesterol levels and reducing dangerous LDL ones, alcohol is beneficial for one’s health. Today HDL levels are low in most people and this makes them suffer from heart-related problems. Moderate consumption may improve the issue and ensure a healthy heart.
What about the Alzheimer’s disease? Recently a few studies showed that consumption of red wine reduces the risks for Alzheimer’s in people of different age. The condition is a really devastating neurodegenerative disease that usually affects 1 in 4 people over 60. And as long as there’s no treatment to be applied, red wine is used in preventive measures.
A Glass of Red Wine a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
There are both those, who agree and those who don’t. Here at Canadian Health&Care Mall we know that red wine does more good than bad. Those, who drink it moderately (a glass or two per day) gain less weight and burn calories faster. Red wine has not fat in its composition and the number of calories is lower than in most popular non-alcoholic drinks. However, it is important to mind what is eaten along.
This drink will lower risks for heart diseases, certain cancers and dementia. It will keep the brain sharp, raise good cholesterol levels and decrease blood pressure, cut the risks for type 2 diabetes and improve the blood chemistry. Do you want it to work in your case? Choose quality wine and not the one in plastic or paper packets.
You see, alcohol can have different impacts on the body. They are either positive or negative. The choice depends on you. We hope that tips and explanations provided by Canadian Health and Care Mall will be useful to those, who are looking for ways of health and life improvement.