Surprising Ways Alcohol Effects Our Health
We all know too much booze is not good for us. Some believe it’s because it contains too many calories, which make it hard to manage our weight. Others know it affects our liver and can kill off a few brain cells. But there are some other really serious and concerning effects that alcohol can have on our health that many of us aren’t aware of.
1. Increases your risk of cancer
I’m not going to beat around the bush: alcohol is a carcinogen (cancer-causer) and a toxin to the human body. The more a person drinks and the more they drink over time, the greater their risk of cancer. And I’m not just talking about the quantity of alcohol an alcoholic would consume; I’m talking about what’s often considered a very socially acceptable amount of alcohol.
It’s well documented that alcohol intake is associated with greater risk of head and neck cancers, oesophageal, colorectal and liver cancers but the most interesting studies that I think many people aren’t aware of are with breast cancer. These studies showed consistently that for women who drank more than 3 standard drinks of alcohol (that’s just under half a bottle of wine ladies) per day had 1.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer than their non-alcohol drinking friends. Even for every 1 drink per day a woman had increased their risk of breast cancer by 12%.
So how does alcohol increase your risk of cancer? There are believed to be several mechanisms:
Metabolising alcohol creates acetaldehyde which is a toxin to humans and can damage DNA
Causes the oxidation of protein and fats which can damage DNA
Can inhibit the absorption of essential nutrients required to reduce cancer risk
Increases circulating oestrogen levels associated with some breast cancers
2. Affects your gut bacteria
The gut microbiota is the tens of trillions of bacteria and microbes that populate the gut. It’s now well established that the gut microbiota play a fundamental role in health and disease, are involved in metabolism, immune system defences as well as mental health. Alcohol can disrupt the environment in the gut, known as dysbiosis, which is an overgrowth of bad bacteria and too little good bacteria. This makes the gut more permeable and vulnerable to nasty little pathogens which can compromise the digestion and absorption of nutrients and lead to leaky gut and cause bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhoea.
3. Dampens your immune system
One of the least known consequences of excessive alcohol consumption (we’re talking 4 or more standard drinks) is that it can cause an immune deficiency making you more susceptible to diseases and infection. The study that was conducted showed that white blood cells when doused with the same amount of alcohol equivalent to 4 drinks produced only a quarter of the amount of disease fighting cells as they normally would. In another study, scientists showed that alcohol not only limited the number of disease-fighting cells but also limited the ability for them to do their job effectively. This is the reason why often after a big night or a big weekend, it’s common to come down with a cold, flu or infection.
4. Causes sleep-related fatigue
Most people think a nice drink before bed will help them to wind down and fall to sleep. There is no doubt that alcohol has that sedative effect, the problem is later in the evening. Several hours after you’ve fallen asleep, the alcohol stimulates the release of adrenaline into the body, which increases our heart rate and makes it impossible to fall into that deep, refreshing REM sleep. Alcohol also makes us thirsty, which means we’re up through the night grabbing glasses of water and then of course, running to the loo as well. For those people who are partial to an evening beverage, just be mindful that even that one drink might be affecting your sleep quality and causing you not to feel your very best the following day.
So this silly season, by all means enjoy a tipple but just keep in mind that it isn’t just excess calories and a hangover that alcohol can cause but a range of other health issues that can really affect you both in the short and long term.
References:
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590619/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110815172153.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4461571/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/alcohol-and-fatigue