There is a wide range of effects that alcohol can have on your health. There are purported pitfalls as well as benefits of consuming the drink. Immediately alcohol enters your body’s system, it triggers a number of physiological changes in the liver, heart, brain, and other organs.
The short-term and long-term effects of this drink can affect your health and lifestyle. There’re so many things you may not know about alcohol. Arming yourself with facts can help you in making informed choices concerning your drinking habit.
Here are 5 health facts about this popular substance.
- Too Much Sugar
Alcoholic drinks contain empty calories that do not have any nutritional value. Worse still, they have too much sugar. For instance, a pint of cedar contains up to five teaspoons. This can alter your blood sugar levels. If you’re a heavy drinker, then the risk of developing diabetes that’s alcohol-related is very high.
Taking in too much sugar can cause a number of health problems. The high-calorie content can lead to weight gain that’s unhealthy. Obesity can cause some more serious complications to your body such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart disease. Apart from this, the sugar can lead to tooth decay that may result in cavities.
- Alcohol and Cancer
Many people wonder, does alcohol cause cancer? It depends. Not every drinker can get cancer. However, if you consume alcohol over a long period of time, there’ll be an increased risk of at least seven types of cancer. They include breast, throat, mouth, bowel, liver, laryngeal, and pharyngeal, among others.
Heavy drinking is the leading cause of liver cirrhosis. This may result in cancer. Also, a mix of alcohol and smoking increases the risk of damaging your body’s cells. In fact, combining the two is riskier in causing mouth and throat cancer than either of them.
- Alcohol and Migraines
Alcohol’s diuretic property causes you to pee more. If you lose more fluid than you’re taking in, the resulting dehydration can cause headaches. If you’re susceptible to migraines, drinking to excess might cause you to get one. Although all alcoholic drinks cause the problem, there some types that contain certain ingredients associated with these headaches.
- Is Alcohol a Poison?
Your body has the ability to process only one unit of alcohol per hour. If you consume more within a short period of time, the content in the blood can stop your body from working the way it should. This can cause varying effects ranging from dehydration that might result in permanent brain damage to stomach irritation.
Some Asians have a natural condition that discourages them from drinking alcohol. About 50 percent of the Japanese, Korean, and Northeastern Chinese population experience a phenomenon called the Alcohol Flush Reaction (AFR), or what is commonly known as “Asian glow.” There are many ways to prevent Asian glow.
- Alcohol Can Cause High Blood Pressure
Research shows that heavy drinking is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure in both men and women. Taking in over 14 units of alcohol per week on a regular basis can have devastating effects on your health. Therefore, it is important that you cut down on your alcohol consumption to avoid getting hypertension.
Conclusion
As many people purport that there are many benefits of alcohol consumption, it is clear that the negative health implications outweigh them. It’s better to reduce the risk of getting such serious illnesses as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension than look for some small benefit. Reduce your intake or avoid alcohol consumption altogether today.
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