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9 ways #alcohol affects your health @clevelandclinic
9 ways #alcohol affects your health @clevelandclinic
9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health @ClevelandClinic
February 15, 2024
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body? 9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
Alcohol affects your whole body, from your liver and immune system to your brain and mental health
You probably already know that excessive drinking can affect you in more ways than one.
There are the empty calories that can lead to weight gain. There’s the potential for injury and regrettable choices. And don’t forget about the hangovers of course.
Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer.
And that’s on top of the toll that alcohol use can take on relationships, not to mention the potential for financial strain and legal troubles.
But even moderate alcohol use changes the way your body functions.
We talked with hepatologist Shreya Sengupta, MD, about how alcohol use affects your body and your emotional health.
“Some people think of the effects of alcohol as only something to be worried about if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, which was formerly called alcoholism,” Dr. Sengupta says.
“But when you consider how alcohol is metabolized and used by your body, we can start to see that even moderate and social drinking affects our health to some degree.”
Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body.
Liver
Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation. When your liver finishes that process, alcohol gets turned into water and carbon dioxide.
But when you ingest too much alcohol for your liver to process in a timely manner, a buildup of toxic substances begins to take a toll on your liver.
If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs.
“When your liver is overwhelmed by oxidizing alcohol, it generates molecules that inhibit fat oxidation,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “The fats build up. Over time, it can lead to a condition known as steatotic liver disease.”
Steatotic liver disease used to go by the name fatty liver disease.
Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. That’s about one shot glass worth.
With continued alcohol use, steatotic liver disease can lead to liver fibrosis. Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis.
“The good news is that earlier stages of steatotic liver disease are usually completely reversible in about four to six weeks if you abstain from drinking alcohol,” Dr. Sengupta assures.
Cirrhosis, on the other hand, is irreversible and can lead to liver failure and liver cancer, even if you abstain from alcohol.
Metabolism
You probably are keenly aware of the so-called “beer belly.” That’s shorthand for a round midsection that some people associate with drinking too much beer.
In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat.
But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. Even for people who aren’t particularly heavy drinkers.
“Drinking gives your body work to do that keeps it from going about its other processes,” Dr. Sengupta notes. “Alcohol distracts your system from its regularly scheduled duties, including things like metabolizing carbohydrates and fats.”
Once you take a drink, your body makes metabolizing alcohol a priority — above processing anything else.
That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. But there isn’t a storage tank for alcohol. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work.
That allows excess calories from the foods you eat to sit around, leading to weight gain.
Gut health
Your gut microbiome is a hotbed of bacteria that help keep your digestive system happy and healthy. The trillions of microbes in your colon and large and small intestines are critical to proper digestion. They also help fend off inflammation and support healthy metabolism.
When you drink too much alcohol, it can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut.
“Alcohol can kill the good bacteria that live in your gut, allowing bad bacteria to grow unchecked,” Dr. Sengupta explains. “That can lead to problems with digestion, inflammation and even organ damage.”
Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut. But even low amounts of daily drinking and prolonged and heavy use of alcohol can lead to significant problems for your digestive system.
Heart health
Too much alcohol is bad for your heart. Alcohol can cause:
- Increased heart rate.
- Spikes in blood pressure.
- Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia).
- A weakening in your heart (cardiomyopathy).
Warnings from the World Heart Federation go so far as to state that no amount of alcohol is safe for your ticker.
But wait, you may be thinking, what about those headlines that claim red wine is supposed to be good for my heart?
There are a few studies that associate red wine with improved heart health in lab tests. But no research proves that red wine causes any improvements in heart health in people.
“The reality is that alcohol causes more health troubles than it could ever help,” Dr. Sengupta reinforces. “And that goes for your heart, as well as the rest of your body.”
Pancreas
Your pancreas helps your body digest food and manage your blood sugar. Drinking alcohol changes how your pancreas works.
“Your pancreas secretes fluids. Alcohol use can thicken those fluids, which can clog the ducts that those fluids flow out of,” Dr. Sengupta explains.
Like a clog in a drain, those thickened fluids can jam up your ducts. That can lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.
Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days. But prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to chronic (long-term) pancreatitis, which can be severe.
Cancer risk
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a clear warning regarding the connection between drinking and cancer: “The less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk for cancer.”
Why?
Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors.
Alcohol use has been shown to raise your risk for several kinds of cancer. That includes cancers of the:
- Mouth.
- Esophagus.
- Throat.
- Liver.
- Breast.
- Colon and rectum.
Immune system
If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink. That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system and make your body more susceptible to infection.
“We see lower levels of a specific kind of white blood cells called lymphocytes in people who drink heavily for long periods of time,” Dr. Sengupta reports. “That can leave them more vulnerable to infectious diseases.”
Brain
The morning after a night of over-imbibing can cause some temporary effects on your brain. Things like trouble concentration, slow reflexes and sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds are standard signs of a hangover, and evidence of alcohol’s effects on your brain.
Long-term alcohol use can change your brain’s wiring in much more significant ways. Ways that your standard hangover cures won’t even begin to touch.
“Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns.
Mental health
Alcohol is a depressant. And prolonged alcohol use can lead to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Chronic misuse can also lead to paranoia and hallucinations.
Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes. Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health.
“Alcohol tends to cause more problems than it solves for a lot of people,” Dr. Sengupta emphasizes. “If drinking is affecting your health, your relationships, your work, your finances, it’s time to make some serious changes.”
Ready to stop drinking and improve your health? These tips may help.
If you need more guidance to quit drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a hotline, 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1.800.662.HELP (4357).
Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and nonjudgmentally discuss alcohol issues with others who have alcohol use disorder.
High temperature,infections widespread at this time of year @ClevelandClinic #childtherapy
We all want to protect our kids whether it be from falls, bumps and bruises — or avoidable infections and diseases. To help your child avoid illness, it’s important to encourage good habits and take steps to boost their immune system from an early age.
“Most of what makes a child’s immune system strong is common sense,” says pediatrician Adriane Lioudis, MD. If you keep these five tips in mind, you’ll stack the deck in your child’s favor for a healthier life.
1. For newborns, consider breastfeeding
While it’s a very personal decision (that isn’t always possible), if you are able to exclusively breastfeed your child for at least six months, it may have benefits. Some research shows that breastfeeding your child might possibly reduce allergies, Dr. Lioudis says.
2. Promote regular hand washing
Eighty percent of infections are spread by touch. Teach your little one to take the time to wash their hands after sneezing, coughing and going to the bathroom. Washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds can remove bacteria and viruses and can reduce the chance of lung infections by up to 45%.
3. Don’t skip immunizations
Follow your pediatrician’s advice when it comes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Immunizations start in infancy and continue to adulthood and prevent measles, mumps, chickenpox, rotavirus and other infections.
“Get the flu shot for your child yearly, as well,” Dr. Lioudis says. This is particularly important for children with asthma and other chronic health conditions.
Also, if your family will be traveling internationally, it’s important to seek advice from your child’s healthcare provider about any needed vaccinations.
4. Make sleep a priority
To maximize immunity, children must get enough sleep.
Sleep requirements for each night vary by age:
- Babies between 0 and 3 months need 14 to 17 hours of sleep. Those between 4 and 12 months need 12 to 16 hours of sleep.
- Children between the ages of 1 and 2 need between 11 and 14 hours.
- Kids between the ages of 3 and 5 should get from10 to 13 hours.
- Children ages 6 to 12 should get between 9 and 12 hours.
- Teens between the ages of 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours.
Not getting enough sleep limits the body’s ability to produce proteins called cytokines that help fight infection and reduce inflammation.
5. Encourage a healthy diet
A healthy diet is also important for your child’s immune system.
Dr. Lioudis recommends encouraging your child to “eat the rainbow” when it comes to fruits and vegetables. A good selection of whole grains should be part of their diet as well. Keep processed foods to a minimum. Proper food choices can help ensure that your child gets enough vitamins — such as vitamin A and E. These vitamins are needed to maintain good health and a strong immune system.
You can’t avoid all illness, but some kids need extra protection
“Even if you follow these tips, your child might still get between seven and 11 colds each year,” says Dr. Lioudis. She adds that you can expect each one to last up to two weeks.
Also, keep in mind that some things billed as common “remedies” aren’t effective in boosting immunity. For example, there’s no definitive proof that large amounts of vitamin C or echinacea help prevent colds or shorten them, she says.
However, if your child has a compromised immune system, work closely with your pediatrician to find ways to improve his or her immunity. Each child needs a personalized approach because their individual immune system varies, Dr. Lioudis says.
“There’s generally a different protocol with immunocompromised children. There are some vaccines we have to add in on top of what most children have, but it’s something that we must determine on a case-by-case basis.
Purple porridge @annabelkarmel @motherandbaby
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Tips and tricks for getting through the long, cold winter season with your nutrition intact:@ClevelandClinic
Here’s How to Make a Healthy Winter Meal Plan
Stay hearty and healthy no matter how cold it gets
Skies are gray, clouds are lowering and the temperature is dropping. And with the changing weather usually comes a transition in food, from the lighter fare of summer to more hearty winter meals.
But what’s the best way to make the switch and stay healthy? Should you really switch up your diet that much? And what’s the best way to adapt your meal planning during the coronavirus pandemic so you don’t have to leave your house as much for grocery runs?
To figure out the best way to approach your winter meal planning, we talked to registered dietitian Lisa Burnett, RD, about some important tips and tricks to getting through the long, cold season with your nutrition intact.
The most important nutrients
You’ve probably heard a lot about the need to up your vitamin D intake, especially during the winter. That’s because vitamin D not only is essential to muscle and bone health, deficiency in vitamin D has also been linked to decreased immunity and fatigue. And it’s harder to keep your vitamin D up in winter.
“We’re supposed to get most of our vitamin D from sunlight but there’s less sunlight in winter, especially in certain regions,” says Burnett. Certain foods like fortified dairy products and cold-water fish (like salmon and tuna) are good sources of vitamin D.
The bottom line, she says, is getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. And it’s important to remember that even if the seasons change, your body still needs the same maintenance.
“While your tastes may change, your needs don’t change a lot in terms of the vitamins and nutrients you need,” she notes. “It’s always important to eat well and keep eating fruits and vegetables to get those vitamins and minerals.”
Packing in those nutrients
Other nutrients Burnett suggests getting in your regular cold season diet as it’s better for your body to absorb these through digestion than through supplements.
“Vitamin C can boost your immunity so it’s a great thing to include however if you’re getting two-to-three servings of fruit and three-plus servings of vegetables each day, you should be able to get adequate amount of vitamin C,” she says.
And getting those vegetables doesn’t mean you have to eat a huge serving, either. Generally, a half-cup is good.
Bell peppers are a good veggie source for vitamin C, Burnett says. And for fruits, the reliable citrus fruits are good sources as are cranberries, which are more in-season, especially during the holidays.
When the season gets colder and drier, many people complain of dry, itchy and flakey skin. vitamin E can reduce inflammation and can help skin health and if you’re keeping that fruit-and-veggie intake up, you should get plenty of that, too.
B vitamins are also important, she says, as they’re antioxidants and influence your energy and brain functions. “Your dark, leafy greens are good sources for those vitamins as are legumes, like beans and lentils,” she adds.
Speaking of tastes changing with the seasons, colder weather often brings on a wave of heartier, heavier foods. But, while these meals may be beloved cold-weather traditions, Burnett says to beware of starches.
Hearty versus healthy
“Winter squashes are considered vegetables, but, nutritionally, they look a lot more like starches,” she points out. “They do have vitamins and minerals but they also have a lot of carbohydrates.”
One way to moderate that intake, she says, is to make sure you include another vegetable into your meal plan instead of another starch. “For instance, if you’re eating chicken with butternut squash, have a salad on the side instead of bread or potatoes. That helps keeps down the starch portion of your plate.
Soups
Soups are very popular in winter for a variety of reasons: they’re easy to make, they warm you up in the cold, they can keep in your freezer or fridge and they offer a wide range of flavors and combinations.
But one thing you should be wary of, Burnett says, is sodium. “That high sodium content is always a fear with soups. If you check the labels of a lot of popular store-bought soups or soups you can buy at restaurants, they have those high sodium levels.”
Instead, she says, consider making your own soups. Not only can you make your own flavor combinations but you can ensure they’re healthier options. And when it comes to bases, she also suggests choosing broth over cream.
“In cream-based soups, you’ll have those saturated fats from whatever dairy was used to make that cream base,” she says. “A great idea is to use low-sodium broth and use real, fresh ingredients.”
One more advantage of soup? A welcomed versatility in a time of social isolation.
Long-term meals
Because of the ongoing pandemic, it’s best to minimize trips to the grocery store (to protect yourself) and minimize those grocery delivery orders (to protect workers). That makes long-term meal planning and meal freezing an overlooked yet key step to staying safe and nutritious this winter.
And that’s where soups can be a big help. Says Burnett, “Soups are great to freeze so they last a long period of time. You can always pair it with a salad or, if it’s a lean protein-based soup, it could be a whole meal by itself. That’s also true of stews, too, as long as you stick healthy, fresh ingredients.”
Burnett says that batch-cooking – cooking many meals in one batch – is a big plus for the winter. “You can make several plates of three or four meals, free them and then work through them over the course of a few weeks,” she says.
She adds that crockpots are a good way to prepare those batch-cooked meals. “With a crockpot, you not only can cook large portions to break up over time but you can also get in everything you need, from proteins to your vegetables with necessary nutrients and minerals.”
The one thing to keep an eye on, besides ingredients, is portion size, she adds. “Certain comfort foods, like lasagna, do well with freezing and keeping for a while. You just need to be aware of portion size and what other vegetables and food options you’re cycling in to go with it.”
Fruits and veggies: fresh, canned or frozen?
Fresh fruits and veggies are always the best options if you can swing it. But certain items may be out of season depending on the time of year. Or maybe you’re looking to minimize trips to the grocery store or get certain produce in bulk.
In that case, you’re faced with a decision: canned or frozen?
According to Burnett, go with frozen. “Frozen vegetables and fruit have come a long way. Steamer bags make it much easier and have helped improve the quality. And nutrient-wise, those frozen options are fairly comparable to the fresh options.”
With the canned options, you run into issues like higher sodium in canned vegetables and higher sugars in the syrup with canned fruits. “There are some options that are healthier, like low sodium canned vegetables,” she says, “but you’ll just need to keep an eye on the nutrition labels and looked for those added sugars and salt.”FACEBOOKTWITTERLINKEDINPINTERESTEmailmeal plannutrientsvitamin cvitamin D
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Now where’s the paracetamol
If you’re looking for relief from coronavirus symptoms, take paracetamol rather than ibuprofen, and avoid non-evidence-based treatments being promoted on social media, health experts recommend.
Australian doctors typically treat patients with a fever – one of the key symptoms of COVID-19 – with the painkiller paracetamol, often sold as Panadol.
Paracetamol provides quick relief from symptoms and is relatively safe.
All the Reasons You Should Eat Strawberries. These berries benefit your memory, boost your immune system and keep your heart healthy @ClevelandClinic #healthaware
Strawberries are an iconic summer fruit — delicious in lemonade, on shortcakes or just straight out of the basket. And it turns out they may be the sweetest way to stay healthy, too. Registered dietitian Bailey Flora, MS, RDN, LD, explains the benefits of strawberries and what nutrients they contain that make strawberries so good for you.
Why are strawberries good for you?
“Strawberries give you a lot of nutritional value for very few calories,” says Flora. “They’re tasty but naturally low in sugar. That’s a combination that’s hard to beat.”
For starters, strawberries are loaded with vitamin C. Eight medium strawberries contain 160% of your daily recommended amount — the amount that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends you eat every day. That’s more vitamin C than you get from an orange, the fruit famous for its vitamin C.
Strawberries are also packed with antioxidants, which protect cells from damage. The primary antioxidant in strawberries is anthocyanin, which gives the fruit its color. The amount of anthocyanin in strawberries increases as the fruit ripens. So, the redder the berry, the more antioxidants it contains.
Strawberries also have fiber and several other important vitamins and minerals, including manganese, potassium and folic acid. And strawberries have less natural sugar than other popular fruits such as apples and bananas.
Health benefits of strawberries
Strawberries are a nutrient-rich snack that can:
1. Boosts brain power
As your brain ages, it can lose some of its mental sharpness. But according to research, eating strawberries protects your brain’s processing powers as you get older.
The Nurses’ Health Study measured brain function in more than 16,000 participants over six years. It found that people who ate the most blueberries and strawberries had less cognitive decline — their thinking and processing abilities didn’t weaken as much. They had the brain power of someone up to two and a half years younger.
In more good news for strawberry lovers: The results of the Rush Memory and Aging Project showed that people who ate strawberries were 34% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers believe the protective effects are due to the antioxidants that safeguard cells. Some of the antioxidants in strawberries also reduce systemic inflammation, when your body is in a state of constant inflammation (swelling and irritation). Systemic inflammation is a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Strengthens your immune system
Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which you need to get from food, as your body can’t produce it. In rare cases, people who don’t get enough of this crucial vitamin develop scurvy, a disease that causes bleeding, bruising and anemia.
Vitamin C plays an important role in wound healing. And it may prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections too. Research shows that vitamin C increases the production of:
- T-cells, which remove infected and cancerous cells.
- B-cells, which create antibodies so your body can better defend against germs in the future.
Vitamin C is also anti-inflammatory, lowering your stress response triggered by illness or just your busy life. To ward off germs, researchers suggest getting 100 to 200 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C a day — and more when you’re sick. As eating eight medium strawberries gives you 160 mg, it takes just a handful of berries to help keep your immune system in good shape.
“There isn’t enough evidence to say whether vitamin C can prevent colds and the flu,” says Flora. “And it can be more beneficial to choose vitamin-C-rich foods like strawberries over vitamin C supplements, as you get additional health benefits. With strawberries, that includes fiber and other phytonutrients and vitamins that cannot be replicated in a vitamin supplement.”
3. Protects heart health
Flora says that popping a few strawberries in your mouth isn’t just a way to stave off hunger — it’s also a heart-healthy food choice. Research shows that strawberries can help prevent several conditions that can lead to heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes, which increases the likelihood of heart disease. Eating more strawberries can help you:
Lower cholesterol
In one small study, participants consumed two drinks a day, each made with 25 milligrams of freeze-dried strawberry powder blended with water. That’s about the same as eating 3.5 cups of fresh strawberries a day. After a month, the participants’ total cholesterol was 5% lower.
The cholesterol-lowering results of that study were echoed in another study that gave participants the same amount of freeze-dried strawberry powder. But this time, they consumed the drink for two months. Researchers compared the results to a group that just drank more water. Those who sipped the strawberry drink saw their cholesterol decrease by 10%.
Decrease triglycerides
Triglycerides are fats found in your blood. Having high triglycerides increases your risk of heart disease. And when triglycerides break down, they leave byproducts that trigger inflammation, attracting sticky deposits to blood-vessel walls. That material can clog your arteries (atherosclerosis), explains Flora.
But eating a pound of strawberries a day may reduce triglycerides by 20%. That’s the result of one study, which also found that strawberries reduced total cholesterol by 8%.
4. Reduces inflammation
Widespread internal inflammation contributes to multiple diseases, including heart disease. Lifestyle factors like a poor diet, low physical activity and smoking can lead to inflammation.
Eating more strawberries is a step in the right direction to boost your heart health, says Flora. That’s because the most prevalent antioxidants in strawberries are anthocyanins, known for their anti-inflammatory effects.
5. Helps manage blood sugar
Too much glucose (sugar in your blood) is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, making you more likely to develop heart disease, too. If you’re watching your blood sugar levels, strawberries are a good way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
In a Finnish study, people who ate strawberries with a piece of white bread released 26% less insulin compared with eating bread with a cucumber. Participants also ate the bread with other berries, including raspberries and cranberries. Only strawberries weakened the post-meal blood sugar spike.
Strawberries are a great addition to a healthy diet, especially when you eat them on their own — Flora advises laying off the calorie-laden whipped cream, cake or ice cream. (Sorry!) They’re delicious, full of good-for-you nutrients and low in sugar. Try this strawberry smoothie. (Surprise — it’s green!) And for a strawberry treat that’s not too sweet, make these strawberry pretzel squares at your next get-together.FACEBOOKTWITTER
A few seconds after your first sip, alcohol starts to change how your body works.
A few seconds after your first sip, alcohol starts to change how your body works. https://wb.md/2q7IJZl
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