“ Eat with a little wine, the more you drink, the more you have ”
Many people consider the consumption of alcohol as one of the ways to keep their health in good condition. Some individuals claim that drinking a little wine can make the stomach ready for food, continue the meal that you have not expected and make you fall asleep more easily. The consumption of alcohol is a cause of relieving for some people who are tense and worried and they drink to calm themselves down. It can make the person less anxious.
So, is it true that drinking can be beneficial for our body and mind?
1. Stop being fooled by these “health-preserving wines”!
A popular method of taking an evening drink to fall asleep has just spread on the web. A lot of people believe that it is quicker for them to sleep when they have drunk some wine. But this is only a trick to keep the alcohol.
The reason why you fall asleep quickly after consuming alcohol is because when alcohol is introduced into a human body for the first time, it coaxes the central nervous system to give a short feeling of delight, which is very quickly replaced by a suppression of the function of the brain which at the same time also very gradually reduces the brain’s capability of response and thus, sleepiness is the result.
Evidently, as if the consumption of alcohol were the way to a quick sleep, this rest is also given at a cost because Sleep in the condition of alcohol paralysis is normally quite shallow, with a short actual period of deep sleep. Consequently, many people are inclined to becoming more tired than the previous day after drinking and they can also, to a certain extent, experience memory loss over a period of time.
There is also an assertion on the Internet that drinking liquor can make the blood circulation better and can get rid of blood that has stagnated, and blood pressure can be lowered.
Indeed, after a person takes liquor, he or she will experience face and ears redness, quick heartbeat, expanded blood vessels, and the blood flow rate will also be higher. On the other hand, fast blood flow may not necessarily clear the blockage in the blood vessels, so it cannot be a release of the blood stasis effect.
Moreover, as far as lowering blood pressure after drinking alcohol is concerned, it is just that the transient capillary dilation stimulated by alcohol is followed by the manifestation of low blood pressure. Generally, the blood pressure will rebound shortly after drinking, and it can also be even higher than the usual one by 10~20 mmHg the next day.
Is that good not to drink liquor? I heard that red wine is healthier than white wine and beer?
Not necessarily.
There is some research that has revealed that red wine has the Tannins which are the Ingredients that help the cardiovascular system, but still, one should not forget that alcohol consumption also involves the taking of alcohol which is the major cause of the cardiovascular system and the cerebrovascular system, and not all red wines are rich in tannins, so from which point there is no completely healthy wine.
2. Is drinking some liquor every day good or bad?
Some people may argue that a small amount of alcohol is enjoyable and if you consume it in moderation, the body will not be harmed, so is that the real case? Who is healthier, the one that drinks 2 taels of liquor a day or the one that doesn’t?
Comparing the usual 40° liquors, 2 taels are equivalent to 32g of alcohol. The Lancet has published data on this that the intake of alcohol around 20-60 grams is considered to be a dangerous consumption of alcohol, i. e., the drinking of 2 taels is already a risk of drinking. The studies done have shown that various alcohol consumption levels may affect cancer risk differently.
Are there still people who would take the gamble and maybe want to drink less instead?
The study, however, provides the response to the survey that even Alcohol intake of less than 20 grams per day may be associated with 13.9% of cancers; New cancer cases related to this are 41,300 when alcohol intake is less than 10g per day. That is, no matter how little you drink, there may be some carcinogenic risk.
But the harm from drinking alcohol does not end here. The relationship between alcohol consumption and lifespan report was published in the journal “BMC Public Health”. After a study that involved the investigation of alcohol consumption and serum α-Klotho levels (Klotho is the longevity factor) in 11,558 individuals, it was revealed that irrespective of the amount of alcohol consumed ,Even with the current light alcohol consumption, alpha-klotho levels are significantly lower than those without alcohol consumption.
The scientists are of the opinion that the drinking of alcohol may have an effect on the serum alpha-klotho levels to cause the process of aging to be quicker.
Not only that, long-term consumption of alcohol has been related to multiple health hazards in several aspects:
I. Vascular aging
Alcohol abuse over a long period of time leads to a situation where it becomes very hard for the body to break down the ethanol component in the blood and, as a consequence, it heavily penetrates into blood vessels, which may cause the vessels to go into a state of abnormal spasm and consequently, blood circulation may be affected. Additionally, the prolonged stimulation of the endovascular membrane may be exfoliated, and the blood vessels’ elasticity will also be lower. After a long time, the possibility of blood clots and arteriosclerosis will not only be higher but also, the rate of vascular function aging will increase, thus leading to the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.
II. Brain atrophy accelerates
The body’s alcohol consumption also causes the central nervous system to be overexcited and brings along some neurotoxicity, particularly the frontal lobe and hippocampus areas, which are the most affected ones, given that these areas are the main parts responsible for memory and attention, thus people who drink alcohol for a long time end up having a fast decrease in the gray matter volume of the brain and a high possibility of getting Alzheimer’s disease when they become old.
III. Liver function decreases significantly
The liver is an important place for alcohol metabolism. Even if the intake of long-term drinking is not high, it will affect the enzyme activity of the liver metabolism system, which is not conducive to alcohol and metabolism. Research shows that people over 60 years old who drink regularly have significantly reduced liver function. The risk of fatty liver is also higher.
IV. Susceptible to mucosal diseases
When alcohol is taken in, it can also aggressively affect the oral mucosa, esophageal mucosa, and stomach mucosa. Long-term overstimulation of these mucosa may result in inflammation or even ulcers. Due to the repeated and intense processes of self-repair and stimulation, it may worsen the risk of mutations in different areas, and in the case of a violent transformation, it may even lead to upper oral cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and other series of cancers.
The World Heart Federation WHF keeps on stating that regardless of the quantity, whether a person drinks in small amounts or not, long-term intake will also influence human physiological functions, so There is no safe drinking dose , the safest amount of alcohol is not to drink. Moreover, it is also recommended that patients with cardiovascular or other chronic diseases as well as young women and mothers stop drinking as soon as possible, and those who do not have drinking habits should not do it casually.
3. If you don’t drink alcohol for a long time, your body may undergo 4 major changes
It is believed that the best way to go is to give up drinking right from the start, so what changes will the human body experience after a long time of not drinking?
I. The liver becomes healthy
The liver without the burden of alcohol metabolism is like a person who has just taken off a heavy load from his shoulders and has more energy to repair himself. Research has uncovered that liver fat mass will be lowered after 2-3 months of abstinence from alcohol, and the liver-associated indicators will also move within the normal range by themselves, so people who do not drink alcohol for a long time will have their livers become the healthiest first.
II. Blood pressure returns to normal
The drinking of alcohol activates the strong contraction and relaxation of blood vessels, thus the people who are of long-time alcohol consumption are the ones that are highly vulnerable to high blood pressure and as they abstain from alcohol for longer periods, the lesser the blood vessels are affected by alcohol, the blood vessels will be healthier and thus more conducive to returning blood pressure to normal.
III. Digestive function improves
The production of stomach acid caused by alcohol consumption is one of the main triggers for digestive system diseases. After quitting alcohol, as the digestive function reestablishes in the body, the appetite will gradually return. At the same time, the human body will find it easier to absorb nutrients from food and the overall health of the body will be better.
IV. Mental state becomes better
The nerve cells in the brain of a human being who is not under the influence of alcohol will recover gradually. Besides that the mental state becomes better, the memory and the cognitive functions will also be largely improved. One feels that the mind is clearer, the thought process is more lively, and there is more energy to cope with work and life.
So, the sooner you stop drinking, the sooner you make a profit. Good health is the biggest capital of life with a long span. One less day of drinking and your health goes one step further.
Disclaimer: The following image/content has been generated by an Artificial Intelligence model and is not a photograph or a traditional human creation.
“Dr. Puneet Girdhar, currently serves as the Director of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at BLK Centre for Orthopaedics, Joint Reconstruction & Spine Surgery at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi. With extensive experience, Best Orthopedic surgeon in Delhi, Dr. Girdhar specializes in microendodiscectomies, minimally invasive spinal decompressions and fusions, artificial disc replacements, and deformity correction in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. He expertly treats a broad range of spinal conditions, including congenital, degenerative, neoplastic, and traumatic.”
