To drink or not to drink? The debate over alcohol’s health effects has been doing rounds for a long period of time. While one may think that a glass of wine with dinner is good for the heart, others may advise keeping it at bay due to alcohol’s addictive nature. Moreover, there is some ambiguity regarding how and if at all alcohol affects fat loss and muscle recovery.
One gram of alcohol provides seven calories. Now, although the number of calories being consumed with alcohol looks low, can it be consumed regularly as long as the total calories are being taken care of? Read on and you will understand why it is frequently recommended to not have alcohol on a daily basis.
Alcohol and its adverse effects
A variety of long-term and short-term effects are caused by the consumption of alcohol. Generalized impairment of neurocognitive function, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and hangover-like symptoms are a few of the short-term adverse effects. Long-term overconsumption may play a major role in causing damage to the liver and even the brain. Also, there is enough evidence to show that drinking alcohol can cause cancer.
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Alcohol and digestion
The normal process of digestion includes activities such as ingestion, propulsion, physical or mechanical digestion, chemical digestion, absorption, and defecation. Alcohol, however, avoids this normal digestive process. Instead, it goes right into the bloodstream in the first section of the small intestine called the duodenum. About 20% of the alcohol consumed is absorbed in the stomach, and about 80% is absorbed in the small intestine. Your digestive system prioritizes removing alcohol over other nutrients from your system and also works extra hard to eliminate it from your body.
Alcohol and liver
The liver plays an important role in removing toxins from your body. Alcohol requires the liver to work harder, as it is metabolized majorly by the liver. This causes the conversion of alcohol into acetaldehyde which can then cause fatty liver – a disease that sees an increase in the production of fat in the liver. Besides, the toxic byproducts produced during the metabolization of alcohol can also prove to be harmful.
Alcohol and dehydration
Alcohol can dehydrate you quickly. Being a diuretic, alcohol inhibits the release of the Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH), also called Arginine Vasopressin (AVP). This hormone is responsible for maintaining the balance of water in the body. When you consume alcohol, it increases your urine output by making your body remove fluids from the blood through the renal system at a higher rate. In all, alcohol is responsible for lowering the water conservation by the body.
Alcohol and appetite
Drinking alcohol can lead to short-term stimulation of the appetite. Above a certain threshold, alcohol appears to raise the level of appetite in part, due to elevated levels of subjective hunger. When this occurs, energy intake is not reduced at subsequent meals. So, while drinking alcohol, one may indulge in overeating and end up consuming more calories than that required by the body.
Looking at all the above effects of alcohol, you may have now come to know why it is advised by many to not consume alcohol regularly. As per the guidelines from the Department of Health, UK, it is recommended to not drink more than 14 units* of alcohol per week, spread over 3 or more days. Take all the factors into consideration and make a wise decision that would prove to be beneficial for your overall health.
*1 unit = 8 gm of alcohol
Authors:
Ankur Wasdev (INFS Faculty)
Ketki H. Ketki is a wandering soul who loves travelling solo, and firmly believes in enjoying the journey rather than hurrying to the destination. Although a graduate in Mechanical Engineering, she took to writing for reaching the masses.
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