Alcohol - balancing the risks and benefits

Humans have been drinking fermented beverages for over 10,000 years and yet, to date, the substantive discussion and disadvantages acerca SA remains. Alcohol is a tonic and a poison. There are many scientific studies demonstrating the benefits of alcohol consumption, and at the same time, there are also many indicate that the health risks of STIs.

What is alcohol?

The active ingredient in the alcoholic beverages is ethanol which affect the body in different ways.

It directly affects the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder and liver.
It affects the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides (fats) and insulin in the blood, as well as inflammation and blood clotting.
In addition, it changes the mood, concentration and coordination.
If alcohol is a tonic or poison mainly depends on the dose. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend those who drink alcohol do so in moderation. Moderation means no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. The recommended amount is lower for women than men because usually we women are smaller and have less of an enzyme that helps metabolize the spirit in the body.

Health Hazards of heavy drinkers

If all drinkers be limited to one drink a day, we would probably not need as many cardiologists, liver specialists, professionals in mental health and addiction counselors. However, not everyone likes to drink can stop at just one. Alcohol abuse is the leading preventable cause of death in most country clubs. In the United States, alcohol is involved in acerca half of all fatal traffic accidents. It plays a role in a three violent crimes marry.

It contributes to depression issues, violence, and the relationship.
It causes inflammation of the liver (alcoholic hepatitis) and leads to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), which is potentially fatal.
It damages increases blood pressure and heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).
It is associated with various forms of cancer such as cancer of the mouth, pharynx, vocal cords, the esophagus (tube which extends from the mouth to the stomach), breast, liver, colon and rectum. The risk is multiplied for drinkers also WHO tobacco smoke.
It causes fetal alcohol syndrome in the unborn child, including treats disorders of growth and development of the nervous system.
Who should not drink alcohol?
People with the following conditions should not drink alcohol; Amounts could still cause small problems:

A history of hemorrhagic stroke
Liver disease
Pancreatic disease
Evidence of precancerous changes in the mouth, throat, vocal cord and esophagus.
Family history of alcoholism
Pregnant
Alcohol also interacts with many common prescription and over-the-counter medications:

Antibiotics
Anticoagulants (drugs stop blood from clotting It)
Antidepressants
Antihistamines
Anti-seizure drugs
Beta-blockers (drugs for the management of irregular heartbeat, heart attack and high blood pressure)
Drugs against diabetes
Analgesics
Sleeping pills
Also, if you combine alcohol with aspirin, you face an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. If you drink alcohol with acetaminophen, you increase your risk of liver damage.

Possible benefits of drinking in moderation

We know that alcohol abuse wreaks havoc on your health, but many studies have shown that moderate drinking may actually reduce the risk of the following diseases:

Heart attack (clot in the coronary artery)
Ischemic stroke (blood clot in the artery leading to the brain)
Peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of blood vessels outside the heart and brain)
SCA (sudden loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness)
Gallstones
Type 2 diabetes
In addition, some studies have contributed the benefits of Un Certain components in red wine such as reseveratrol to reduce the risk of heart disease. Resveratrol has been shown to increase HDL ("good") cholesterol, prevents blood clots, and relaxes blood vessel walls.

Moderate consumption of risks

Despite the above advantages, some moderate alcohol consumption also carries risks:

Alcohol is addictive, especially for people with a family history of alcoholism.
There is convincing evidence that the development of alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. However, studies show that even an adequate intake of folic acid (a B vitamin), at least 600 mg per day seems esta mitigate increased risk. Folate helps build DNA and is essential for accurate cell division. alcohol blocks the uptake of folate and therefore it increases the risk of breast cancer, colon and other cancers.

Alcohol can disrupt sleep. Alcohol, Well has a sedative effect and help you fall asleep faster, it is rapidly metabolized in your body and it compromises your sleep during the second half of the night. You tend to have less deep sleep and wake up more easily. Está alcohol may worsen snoring and sleep apnea (a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep) también.
Drink If you or should not you drink?

If you do not drink, it is not necessary to start. For a pregnant woman and her unborn child at recovering alcoholic, a person with liver disease, and people who take medications that interact with alcohol, drink offers few advantages and significant business risks . There are other safe ways to boost your heart health and reduce your risk of diabetes such as becoming more active, maintaining a healthy weight and eat healthy fats and a variety of vegetables and fruits.
If you do drink, drink in moderation. There are no conclusive studies that indicate whether wine, beer, or spirits has several health benefits. So choose what you want. Moderation is the key - limited to no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. However, keep in mind that having seven drinks on Saturday evening, and not drinking for the rest of the week is not the same as having one drink a day. Also, make sure you get at least 600 mg of folic acid per day.
If you are a woman, it is more difficult to balance the benefit and risk. All year 10 times more women die from heart disease (460,000) than breast cancer (41,000). Therefore, if you are a woman at risk for heart disease, it is advantageous to have any drink Maybe available every day, despite the slightly increased risk of breast cancer. However, studies show that women are much more afraid of developing breast cancer than heart disease, something that must be considered.



What you need to know about alcohol and pregnancy