In today’s column, Jamar Tejada talks about the path that alcohol takes in the human body and its consequences for the organs, especially the liver
Alcohol is the most freely accessible drug and is present everywhere we go. Accepted by society and viewed differently – compared to other drugs, it is culturally associated with celebration and stress relief. But this is a somewhat distorted view.
According to the 3rd National Survey on the Use of Drugs by the Brazilian Population, alcohol is the most consumed substance in our country. The survey, coordinated by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), interviewed about 17,000 people aged between 12 and 65 throughout Brazil. According to the data released, more than half of the population interviewed said they had consumed an alcoholic beverage at least once during the study period. This while 7.7% of Brazilians used marijuana and 3.1% consumed cocaine. Don’t worry?
The survey also reveals the scale of the problem that health policies face in relation to alcohol consumption: around 46 million (30.1%) people had consumed at least one drink in the 30 days preceding the survey and around 2.3 million filed dependency criteria, as recorded by the Fiocruz Portal in 2019.
Alcohol and its journey through the body
Soon after being ingested, alcohol is absorbed from the stomach, reaching other organs through the bloodstream. Therefore, it also affects the brain and the entire central nervous system, reducing reflexes and causing mood swings.
According to American statistics, simply drinking two glasses of beer can increase a person’s reaction (reflex) time from 0.75 seconds to nearly 2 seconds.
Despite its stimulating or euphoric effects, ethyl alcohol is a substance that depresses the Central Nervous System. The time it takes for the substance to make this “journey” through the blood depends on certain factors, such as the amount of drink ingested, the volume of fat in the body, among others.
Women are more sensitive to its effects because, physiologically, they have more fat retained in the body, which ends up rejecting its absorption by the cells, making it stay in the bloodstream longer. This is what we call the bioavailability of alcohol. This causes organs to spend more time exposed to its effects, especially the more sensitive ones, such as the brain, liver and heart. This is one of the reasons women get sick faster from drinking. Cirrhosis, for example, appears on average five years earlier in women than in men.
Older people are also more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, especially since they already have minor physiological changes in the body or some diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
In the first ten minutes, the body sees alcohol transform into acetaldehyde, a toxic element, and tries to get rid of it as quickly as possible. This substance is the result of the action of a liver enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down the alcohol molecule.
If a few doses are consumed, the period of action of acetaldehyde is short and the damage less, as it is attacked by another enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase, with another substance, glutathione, which transforms acetaldehyde into acetate – a kind of non-toxic vinegar.
The problem is that the glutathione stored in the liver is not enough for a large amount of alcohol. Therefore, acetaldehyde stays longer in the body. What does it cause? In addition to raising blood pressure, it can cause strokes, but more commonly fatigue, nausea, stomach irritation, headaches and the famous hangover.
We begin to feel euphoric and soon become intoxicated with 30-40 minutes of continuous drinking. Thus the control of the critical sense is lost, since alcohol has a direct action on the limbic system, the Central Nervous System. Anxiety, mood swings and depression are consequences of alcohol consumption. Between 45 and 90 minutes, the alcohol level in the body reaches its peak and the diuretic action begins which begins to be frequent.
The alcoholic beverage has only a small amount of water, but the body does not understand the presence of so much liquid, so it increases diuresis. But since it is not the water that gets inside, dehydration may occur, but it will not reach a serious condition.
Why does the urge to urinate increase?
This happens because alcohol inhibits the production of a hormone in the body responsible for regulating urine. It is vasopressin, or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which acts on the kidneys and is important for promoting water reabsorption and preventing large fluid losses in the body.
For this same reason, excess alcohol can also lead to dehydration, causing extreme thirst during a hangover and giving skin a dry appearance.
To avoid dehydration, it is recommended that you drink at least one glass of water every hour. This tip also works to delay alcohol absorption, dilute the drink, and even reduce your intake, resulting in a less aggressive hangover.
Excessive alcohol consumption can also cause other symptoms, such as:
Brain: it affects the central nervous system and can cause loss of reflexes, attention problems, memory loss, drowsiness and even coma – which can lead to death.
Kidneys: the diuretic effect of alcohol ends up overloading the kidneys, compromising the effectiveness of the process of filtering substances that takes place in the organ.
Stomach and intestines: the alcohol and also the carbohydrates in some alcoholic beverages, such as beer, cause a kind of fermentation in the intestines, which affects the intestinal flora. Therefore, many people who drink experience stomach pain, diarrhea, and excessive gas. In addition, alcohol irritates the mucous membranes of the stomach and esophagus, causing heartburn, esophagitis and gastritis.
Nausea and vomit: Vomiting is the body’s reaction to rid the body of the excessive volume of alcohol and toxins present in the drink. It can occur right after drinking too much alcohol or the next day during a hangover.
Alcoholic coma: when this state of unconsciousness is reached, it is a sign that there has been an alcohol intake exceeding the liver’s ability to metabolize it. It’s just that the organ transforms alcohol into glucose, but due to the abusive consumption of the substance, intoxication of various organs, such as the brain, can occur. This is also why people who drink to excess can have what is known as alcoholic amnesia.
Heachache: it is one of the consequences of a hangover and occurs due to a combination of factors triggered by alcohol, such as loss of water in the body and vasodilation (increase in the size of blood vessels), caused by the alcoholic drink.
Cardiac Effects: alcohol releases adrenaline, which speeds up blood activity in the heart, increasing the heart rate and possibly causing a hormone imbalance.
Liver, a separate topic
In people who abuse alcohol, The most common liver diseases are:
1. Alcoholic Steatosis (Fatty Liver): Fat deposition occurs in nearly all individuals who abuse and frequently use alcohol, but it can also occur in individuals who do not consume alcohol after a single episode of alcohol abuse.
Steatosis corresponds to the first stage of alcoholic liver disease. If the individual stops drinking at this stage, his liver function will recover. Steatosis can also occur in diabetics, obese people, with severe protein malnutrition and users of certain drugs.
2. Alcoholic Hepatitis: this condition involves inflammation and/or destruction (e.g. necrosis) of the liver tissue. There is loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and in some cases mental confusion. While this disease can lead to death, it can most often be reversed with alcohol withdrawal. Alcoholic hepatitis occurs in about 50% of habitual alcohol users.
3. Alcoholic Cirrhosis: It is an advanced form of liver disease resulting from progressive damage to liver cells. Cirrhosis is usually diagnosed in 15-30% of chronic alcohol users.
A cirrhotic liver is characterized by extensive fibrosis that impairs the functioning of the liver and can even impair the functioning of other organs such as the brain and kidneys. Although alcoholic cirrhosis can lead to death due to its complications (eg, renal failure and portal hypertension), it can be stabilized by complete abstinence from alcohol.
These three clinical conditions are generally correlated in sequence, progressively, from steatosis to cirrhosis. However, some individuals may develop cirrhosis without ever having hepatitis, and some sudden-onset, rapidly progressing hepatitis leads to death before cirrhosis develops.
Either way, the list of problems caused by heavy drinking is huge. When you go to ingest, remember everyone well.
Celebrating with alcohol today can be sadness with a triggered health problem tomorrow. I promise in the next edition here of the column to talk about natural liver cures.
As always, the balance comes very well, thank you!
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
