"Drink pleasantly, drink too much".I believe everyone is familiar with this sentence. In recent years, with the improvement of people's health awareness, more and more attention has been paid to the dangers of drinking. Some studies have shown that:Even small amounts of alcohol can cause irreversible damage to human health。So,Is it true that there is no such thing as drinking alcohol in moderation?
The main component of alcohol is ethanolWhen ethanol enters the body, it is metabolized into acetaldehyde, which is a carcinogen. Even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, which is dose-dependent, that is, the greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of cancer.
In 2018, The Lancet published a study on drinking and health in the Chinese populationThe study followed more than 500,000 Chinese adults for 10 years.
The study collected data on 500,000 Chinese adults, including how much they consumed, eating habits, lifestyle, health status, and more.
Research Results:
People who drank 15 grams per day (about the equivalent of 1 beer or 1 glass of wine) had an 8% increased risk of all-cause mortality, including a 15% increased risk of death from cancer and a 10% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, compared to non-drinkers.
Even people who drink only 1-2 glasses of alcohol per day have an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause death.
The study also found that men were more harmful to drinking, and women had a particularly increased risk of breast cancer.
The study shows:There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink, and even small amounts of alcohol can increase health risks。The researchers suggest thatFor the sake of health, it is best not to drink alcohol
The misunderstood "moderate drinking".
The understanding of "moderation" of alcohol consumption stems from the clear recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents. According to the guidelines, the daily alcohol intake should not exceed 25 grams for adult men and 15 grams for adult women. At the same time, for pregnant women, children and adolescents, the guidelines clearly recommend avoiding alcohol.
These recommendations are intended to serve as a warning to those who may be experiencing excessive drinking behaviour and to be mindful of their daily alcohol consumption and to avoid the negative health effects of excessive drinking. However, this does not mean that drinking alcohol in moderation is safe.
For those who don't drink alcohol or drink less than they would otherwise drink, the best option may be to avoid alcohol altogether rather than assume that drinking "in moderation" is safe. Because alcohol, regardless of the amount of intake, can have adverse effects on physical health, especially long-term drinking can lead to a variety of health problems.
Research by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that:, more than 3 million deaths due to alcohol use occur globally each year, including 53% of cancer deaths and 258% of cirrhosis deaths.
Data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Alcohol use kills more than 700,000 deaths each year in China, including 200,000 cancer deaths.
According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Report on Alcohol and Health 2018, there are 23.7 billion men and 46 million women suffer from alcohol use disorder, which means they have an uncontrollable craving for and dependence on alcohol. So, why do people become addicted to alcohol?
The human brain has a reward system, which can regulate people's emotions and behaviors, making people feel positive feelings such as happiness, contentment, and excitement. This system mainly relies on some neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, etc., which are called "pleasure hormones" and can stimulate motivation and desire. However, the release of these neurotransmitters is limited and requires certain stimulation and conditioning.
Alcohol is a strong stimulant that can act directly on receptors on the cell membranes of neurons to control the release of eucharin. To put it simply, alcohol can open the valve of the joy hormone and make people feel more pleasure. Moreover, the effect of alcohol increases with the amount of alcohol, that is, the more you drink, the greater the pleasure.
Although alcohol can make people feel pleasure, it can also bring some *** such as headaches, nausea, insomnia, depression and so on. This is because alcohol can interfere with the balance and stability of the brain, resulting in a deficiency or excess of some neurotransmitters, affecting a person's cognition, mood, memory, coordination and other functions.
In order to cope with the effects of alcohol, the brain will make some adaptations and adjustments, such as increasing or decreasing the number of some receptors, changing the activity of some neurons, adjusting the intensity of some signals, and so on. The purpose of these adaptations and adjustments is to restore the normal state of the brain, but it can also lead to the brain's tolerance and dependence on alcohol.
Tolerance refers to the weakened response of the body to alcohol and the need for more alcohol to achieve the same effect. Dependence refers to the increased demand for alcohol in the body, and the lack of alcohol will cause some withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, tremors, hallucinations, etc. In this way, people will fall into a vicious circle, the more they drink, the more addicted they become, and the addiction to alcohol will grow.
In addition to influencing the brain's reward system, alcohol also affects the structure and function of the brain, creating a new mechanism of alcohol addiction.
Researchers from the Spanish Institute of Neuroscience published a study in the top international academic journal Science, where they found that people and rats who have been drinking chronic alcohol for a long time increase the diffusion rate of the extracellular space of the brain's gray matter over time, that is, the amount of water in the brain increases and the space becomes larger. This leads to an increase in the concentration of the neurotransmitter (dopamine) in the brain, which enhances the stimulating effects of alcohol. At the same time, this also affects other neurotransmitters in the brain, such as glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, etc., which affects the brain's learning, memory, mood, behavior and other functions.
The best way to reduce the harm of drinking alcohol is to avoid or reduce it. If you have to drink alcohol, here are some things you can do:
1. Avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach
Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach, as alcohol is absorbed faster on an empty stomach and is more likely to cause hypoglycemia and alcoholism. Eat starchy foods such as rice, noodles, etc., before drinking, which can slow down the absorption of alcohol and also protect the stomach from the irritation of alcohol.
2. Drink some milk before drinking
Drink a glass of milk before drinking, the protein and fat in milk can form a protective film on the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, and can also slow down the absorption of alcohol and reduce the damage of alcohol to the stomach.
3. Choose a low-alcohol wine
Choose low-alcohol beverages, such as beer, wine, etc., and avoid high-alcohol beverages, such as liquor, whiskey, etc., which are more harmful to the body and more likely to lead to alcohol dependence.
4. Drink less if you can
Limit the amount and frequency of alcohol you drink and follow guidelines and recommendations for safe drinking, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommends no more than two drinks (20 grams) of alcohol per day for adult men and one drink (10 grams) per day for adult women3. Don't drink too much at once, and don't drink too often, as this can reduce the stimulation of alcohol on the brain and reduce alcohol tolerance and dependence.
5. Hydration and vitamins after drinking
Alcohol can lead to dehydration and loss of vitamins in the body, which will affect the body's metabolism and function, and will also aggravate the toxicity of alcohol. After drinking, you should drink plenty of water, or drink some drinks that contain vitamins B and C, such as fruit juices, vegetable juices, etc., which can help the body excrete alcohol and restore water and nutrients.
Do not drive or operate dangerous machines after drinking, alcohol can affect a person's ability to see, hear, react, balance, judge, etc., increasing the risk of accidents. After drinking alcohol, you should avoid driving or operating dangerous machinery, or seek help from others to keep yourself and others safe.