Humans have been drinking fermented beverages for thousands of years, and they have also been arguing about the merits and demerits of doing so for just as long.

The debate lives on today, with a lively back-and-forth over whether alcohol is good or bad for your health. But no matter your opinion on the subject, it’s safe to say that alcohol is both a tonic and a poison.

The difference lies in the amount you consume. Past studies suggest that moderate drinking is good for the heart and may even protect against diabetes. However, heavy drinking is a major cause of death.

Heavy drinking can damage your liver and heart, harm unborn children, increase your risk of breast cancer, contribute to depression and violence, and interfere with relationships. Alcohol’s two-faced nature shouldn’t come as a surprise. The active ingredient in alcoholic drinks – ethanol – can affect the body in various ways.

Health risks linked to excessive alcohol consumption

How much alcohol you drink, your gender, body mass, genetics and general state of health all determine how heavy drinking can affect you. However, studies have consistently shown that heavy alcohol consumption is detrimental to your health and could lead to your early demise.

After you drink an alcoholic beverage, it travels through your stomach and intestines, where it is absorbed. But unlike the nutrients from foods, your body can’t store alcohol. In fact, your body wants to get rid of it quickly, so much so that it interrupts normal functions like nutrient absorption and fat metabolism to get it done.

When your body is burning alcohol, the excess glucose and lipids in your bloodstream end up becoming fat. This is why heavy drinkers get a “beer belly” after months of excessive drinking. It is at this point when your belly starts to protrude that you may start to feel alcohol’s negative effects.

Meanwhile, in your liver, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase metabolizes ethanol, leading to the creation of acetaldehyde. This chemical is both toxic and carcinogenic. It is also responsible for the hangover symptoms you experience after a night of heavy drinking. Acetaldehyde is converted by your body into acetic acid, which is water-soluble. This means it can be flushed out through your kidneys.

Although alcohol is eventually flushed out of your system, your liver is still particularly at risk of damage because alcohol is mostly metabolized there. In fact, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver inflammation, scarring and the buildup of fats. Together, these characterize alcoholic liver disease.

Chronic inflammation of the liver due to heavy drinking is called alcoholic hepatitis. It leads to liver tissue scarring. Eventually, the scarring may completely invade the liver, causing it to harden. This is what’s known as cirrhosis, or late-stage liver disease.

If the liver cannot perform its many life-sustaining functions, multiple organ failure and even death may occur. Unfortunately, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease, such as yellowing of the skin or eyeballs (jaundice) and abdominal swelling, typically develop only after extensive damage has already been done to the liver.

Additionally, alcohol can irritate the lining of your gastrointestinal tract, increasing blood flow to your skin, stomach and intestines and reducing blood flow to your muscles.

Here are some of the other ways drinking too much alcohol can affect different parts of your body:

• Contributes to memory problems and worsens depression and anxiety
• Increases your risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease
• Increases your risk for liver, breast and esophageal cancer
• May lead to obesity and, consequently, increase your risk for obesity-related health issues
• Increases your risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes
• May cause birth defects or premature birth
• Compromises immune health
• Worsens and increases your risk of infections
• Slows the body’s natural ability to heal

The negative effects of alcohol appear to be dose-dependent. This means that the more you drink, the worse its impact is on your health.

Balancing the risks and benefits

All this isn’t to say that you should avoid alcoholic beverages for the rest of your life. After all, most of them are derived from fruits (wine) and cereal grains (beer) that have modest amounts of nutrients and antioxidants.

In fact, moderate consumption of wine is associated with certain health benefits. A recent review confirmed the that moderate wine consumption, especially red wine, can help prevent cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cognitive decline, depression and even cancer.

However, note that the review defined “moderate consumption” as only one glass of wine a day for women and two glasses of wine a day for men. Moreover, the benefits of moderate wine consumption detailed in the review were mainly observed in people who drank wine as part of a healthy diet.

If you enjoy drinking occasionally, try these healthy, low-carb drinks for a change:

1. Champagne – Champagne is low in calories and is said to be good for the heart and skin.
2. Light beer – Light beer isn’t as calorically dense as regular beer. Moderate beer drinking is also believed to help lower your risk of diabetes, support heart health and strengthen your bones.
3. Wine – Red, white and dry wines are all healthy choices when consumed in moderation. But when it comes to sugar, dry wines have the lowest content. Red wine is the richest in antioxidants and may help lower your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
4. Spirits – Gin, whiskey and vodka contain very few carbohydrates. Moderate consumption of spirits may also help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
5. Mixers – Although not alcoholic, mixers are usually mixed with a small amount of alcohol in bars or parties. They generally don’t contain as many carbohydrates as sugary cocktails.

Alcohol isn’t inherently bad for your health. The problem starts when you drink too much alcohol. To avoid the health risks associated with heavy drinking, drink in moderation and as part of a healthy diet.

Sources:

FoodRevolution.org

MDPI.com

MedicalNewsToday.com