Lao Wang, who retired two years ago, is still in good health, and his only trouble is mild high blood pressure. However, his happiest moment of the day is a glass of liquor before a meal.
My wife couldn't help but persuade: "Don't drink so much, alcohol is not good for your health, look at your stomach ......."But Lao Wang didn't seem to care too much: "What's the harm of just a little bit every day?"It also warms up your body and stomach!”
While drinking a small amount of alcohol may make you feel hot and have a so-called "warming up your body," it's a fallacy to assert that there's no harm to drinking alcohol.
First of all, we can be clear that drinking alcohol is not good for the body. The main components of alcohol are water and alcohol, and on the one hand, the intake of alcohol increases the burden on liver cells, and on the other hand, excessive alcohol consumption can easily lead to "alcoholic fatty liver disease".
Even if there are some "relatively healthy" ingredients in wine, the amount is so small that it is difficult to make a real difference. Conversely, a large intake of the "harmful ingredient" alcohol is likely to directly offset the so-called "healthy constituent".
Second, there is no such thing as "moderation" in drinking.
As early as 2012, the World Health Organization classified alcohol as a first-class carcinogen, which is closely related to liver cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. In 2019, based on the results of a study of 500,000 Chinese, The Lancet pointed out that the more alcohol you drink, the greater the risk of stroke. Alcohol consumption kills 28 million people globally each year, making it the seventh leading cause of death and disability in the world. Alcohol consumption is considered a health killer for all ages.
More seriously, The Lancet emphasizes that alcohol consumption coexists with health risksThe safest amount of alcohol to drink is actually zero.
Therefore, whether it is a "small drink" or a "big drink", there are potential physical hazards.
For those who are keen to drink heavily, if you have the following 5 physical symptoms, you should be careful, and if you continue to drink, you may be risking your life.
1.* Yellowing, yellowing of the whites of the eyes
People who love to drink, especially those who regularly consume large amounts of alcohol, if they suddenly notice that their complexion is dull and dull, and the whites of their eyes are yellow, it is likely to be a sign of liver cell damage. This "yellowing" is often associated with excess bilirubin, and the liver is closely involved in the metabolism of bilirubin. Therefore, an abnormally high level of bilirubin may indicate impaired liver function and inability to function properly.
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment produced by broken down red blood cells, which is normally metabolized by the liver and then excreted by bile. Abnormal liver function causes bilirubin to be inadequately managed, causing jaundice.
2.Pain in the abdomen after drinking alcohol
If you feel pain and discomfort in your abdomen as soon as you drink alcohol, it is likely to be a sign that the stomach lining is damaged or inflamed. Mild alcoholic gastritis can cause discomfort such as stomach pain and bloating, which can usually be relieved after abstinence. However, once severe gastritis develops, serious complications such as gastric bleeding and gastric perforation may occur.
3.Chest discomfort, allergies, poor breathing
Alcohol can also cause damage to heart muscle cells. Chest discomfort accompanied by itching, redness, and difficulty breathing may be a sign of alcohol allergy.
4.Body chills, abnormal heartbeat, drowsiness
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, and if you experience chills, fast and slow heartbeat, and abnormal drowsiness after drinking, it may be a sign of acute alcoholism, and you should seek medical attention immediately.
Acute alcoholism can affect the central nervous system and cause serious life-threatening effects.
5.Alcohol has dropped dramatically
Once a thousand glasses were not drunk, but now two glasses are poured, and the sharp drop in alcohol may reflect abnormal liver function and reduced detoxification ability.
The liver is the main detoxification organ, and abnormal liver function may lead to a decrease in the ability to metabolize alcohol, which can increase the damage caused by alcohol to the body.
In the carnival party, it is inevitable that there will be some times when there is excessive drinking, and many people have resorted to tea or milk to try to relieve hangover. However, do these methods really work?
First of all, if you take some measures, such as drinking milk, before the alcohol has entered the intestines to be absorbed, a "protective film" can be formed in the stomach, which can play a role in diluting the alcohol concentration in the stomach. However, this is limited to the early stages when the alcohol has not yet been absorbed, and once it is drunk, it loses its meaning.
As for drinking tea, the tea polyphenols and other ingredients in it have a certain dehydration effect, which may aggravate the symptoms of dehydration, increase the alcohol concentration in the body, and cannot really relieve hangover.
Alcohol is mainly metabolized in the body by the liver, and the resulting acetaldehyde is the main culprit that causes the symptoms of drunkenness. Hangover relief is not simply to dilute alcohol, but more importantly, to accelerate the metabolism and elimination of acetaldehyde. However, tea does not increase the amount or activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, so it is not a hangover cure.
And the rumored honey, although it is believed to have hangover benefits in some cultures, is powerless against acetaldehyde and is not actually a hangover cure. Drinking plenty of warm water is a more practical option to help promote urine excretion and speed up alcohol metabolism.