The effect of alcohol on organs and possible consequences of consumption

a guy with three glasses of alcohol

Alcohol occupies a well-deserved leading place in the list of harmful and dangerous habits. The Ministry of Health warns about the dangers of alcohol, doctors say, and remind people who can no longer cope with pathological dependence on ethanol. But a real obstacle on the way to alcoholism can be honest information about what processes occur against the background of intoxication and regular alcohol consumption.

Is there any benefit?

Myths that alcohol can be useful have been around for a long time. During the Second World War, Stalin introduced a prescribed dose of alcohol for the military: People's Commissariat 100 grams of vodka, which were supposed to warm the soldiers, strengthen their morale and stop the feeling of fear. Long before that, alcohol was used in the formulation of medicinal tinctures used to treat diseases.

Already in the middle of the twentieth century, scientists began to talk about the need to introduce control over the amount of alcohol consumed. The "dry law" announced by the Central Committee of the KPPC had a bad impact on the state budget, but the number of people dying from poisoning with ethyl alcohol, as a result of accidents in a state of intoxication, and from somatic pathologies associated with alcoholism has sharply decreased.

Today, there is a lot of scientifically confirmed information in the public domain, from which it follows that:

  • alcohol cannot keep warm in the cold, and as a result of vascular spasm, the risk of hypothermia, on the contrary, increases;
  • alcohol poisons the liver and provokes inflammation of the mucous membrane, so you can not use it as a therapeutic agent;
  • ethanol does not strengthen the vascular system, does not prevent a heart attack and cannot reduce high blood pressure.

Nevertheless, many people continue to believe that a certain amount of alcohol, as well as expensive drinks, can benefit. To refute this opinion, it is necessary to consider various scientific studies conducted by scientists about the dangers of alcohol.

Alcohol and life expectancy

The fact that ethyl alcohol is included in the composition of many medicinal products often becomes the basis for the opinion that alcohol can be used as a healing agent capable of stopping various diseases and prolonging life expectancy.

However, there is official data that at least 3.2% of deaths occurring per year are caused by alcohol. This means that as a result of a bad habit and its associated consequences, at least 1,800,000 people die annually.

In 1996, Murray and Lopez made calculations of the time that could be spent on work, socially useful things and other activities, but which were given to alcohol addiction. In 1990, about one million people died from alcohol-related diseases, which is equivalent to almost 50,000,000 years of life.

Are there any official scientific studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and approved by the scientific community that could substantiate the opposite point of view and prove that alcohol can be useful, strengthen health and prolong life? So far there is no information about such studies.

Alcohol and blood

Ethyl alcohol, which is part of any alcoholic beverage, is C2H2OH, refers to fatty narcotic substances. If any alcoholic beverage, such as wine or beer, enters the digestive tract, ethanol is immediately absorbed into the blood. It takes no more than 15 minutes for half of the total amount of ethanol to enter the human blood and be distributed in tissues:

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  • the brain;
  • spleen;
  • liver;
  • kidneys.

In addition to the harm caused by the decomposition products of ethanol on these organs, harm to the hematopoietic system is also known. The negative effect of alcohol on the blood is complex, that is, it is associated with the effect of ethanol on the blood and liver damage, impaired filtration capacity of the kidneys, changes in nutrition, etc.

  • Due to liver damage and intoxication, alcoholics often have anemia. This means that the level of red blood cells and hemoglobin decreases, the amount of oxygen carried in the blood decreases, so the metabolism in all tissues is disrupted. Against the background of anemia, people suffer from weakness, tachycardia and shortness of breath, hair loss and nail delamination, irritability and chronic fatigue.
  • The liver malfunction characteristic of alcoholism also leads to an increase in "bad" cholesterol in the blood, that is, high-density lipoproteins that damage vascular walls and provoke cardiovascular catastrophes. In recent years, heart attacks and strokes are rapidly "getting younger": mass alcohol abuse is considered one of the reasons that led to this result.

With timely access to a doctor, the composition of the blood and the function of the hematopoietic system can be restored. The doctor will prescribe medications to reduce lipids in the blood, prescribe blood transfusion procedures or iron preparations. But without giving up alcohol, these measures will not be effective, and ethyl dependence will lead to severe pathologies.

What happens to the lungs

Diseases of the respiratory system are relevant for the modern healthcare system. The number of cases of atypical pneumonia has increased over the past 5-7 years, and with the spread of coronavirus infection, which provokes a special form of lung inflammation, scientists have become actively engaged in lung diseases.

Little is known about the direct harm of ethanol on the respiratory system: almost everyone has heard about alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver or beer heart syndrome, but the scientific literature has never mentioned diseases: alcoholic pneumonia or wine lung syndrome. And completely in vain: back in the 19th century , a surgeon from America B.Rush noticed that the consumption of ethyl alcohol is associated with pneumonia. Doctors also noticed that tuberculosis and pneumonia are much more severe in alcoholics. This was later confirmed by scientific studies, when it turned out that ethyl alcohol leads to:

  • disorders of the immune system;
  • structural defects of the upper respiratory tract;
  • high risk of aspiration on the background of intoxication.

In 1996, an article was published in which information was published about an increase in the likelihood of developing a distress syndrome in addicts: a condition in which inflamed lung tissue is not fully functional, so oxygen inhaled by a person is not delivered to vital organs and tissues.

Modern research proves that regular drinkers are several times more likely to encounter:

  • bacterial and viral infections in the respiratory system;
  • respiratory depression due to the effect of alcohol on the brain;
  • emphysema, formed due to the destruction of lung tissue.

There are also acute processes when, after drinking alcohol, a person is faced with the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, severe respiratory failure, and death.

The effect of alcohol on the immune system

It has been scientifically proven that ethyl alcohol and the products formed during its decay can change the functions of cells of the immune system:

  • the number of monocytes decreases;
  • the number of dendritic cells decreases;
  • the concentration of T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes decreases sharply.

This means that a person who regularly drinks alcohol is more likely to encounter infections, since his immune system cannot provide the necessary resistance to viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Another consequence is autoimmune processes, a violation in the work of immunity, when the body begins to destroy its own cells, taking them for antigens. These diseases cannot be eliminated completely, and hormonal treatment used to stop and slow down these processes leads to many complications and side effects. According to statistics, every year the number of people with various autoimmune diseases increases, while there are still no funds to provide them with adequate medical care.

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Due to the large amount of substances that make up the drinks that can be bought in most supermarkets, it increases the risk of developing an allergic reaction. In addition to the relatively harmless consequences of pathological immunity, in the form of a skin rash, there is also anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema and other life-threatening complications.

The probability of oncology

Cancer is one of the most terrible diagnoses that everyone is afraid to hear from a doctor. The factors that can definitely cause cancer are not fully understood, but most doctors talk about the role of heredity, stress and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Alcohol at the same time plays an important role in the prevention of cancer. Acetaldehyde, which is formed during the breakdown of ethanol in the body, is a carcinogen, which means it can provoke cancer. It is known that it causes:

  • an increase in estrogens, against which increases the risk of developing breast cancer;
  • the increase in the number of free radicals;
  • a change in folate metabolism that provokes rectal cancer.

Animal studies have confirmed that inhalation of alcohol vapor leads to cancer of the respiratory system, and oral administration of ethanol increases the risk of liver and bone marrow cancer several times. If a person drinks alcohol at the same time as smoking, it increases the risk of cancer of the oral cavity, mouth and esophagus.

Many scientific papers are devoted to the effect of ethanol on the pancreas.

Thus, the only organs that are least susceptible to cancer in alcoholics are the bladder and prostate. That does not reduce the risk of developing other pathologies of these organs in alcoholics.

Other complications associated with alcohol intake

The toxic effect of ethanol extends to other organs.

  • The brain suffers as a result of alcohol intake: impaired metabolic processes and damaged neurons cause changes in cognitive functions, so a person becomes distracted, forgetful, experiences sharp mood swings.
  • Alcohol abuse affects the reproductive system, causing infertility and increasing the risk of having a child with congenital disorders. Men with alcoholism often develop impotence.
  • Alcoholics experience exacerbations of any chronic diseases. If a person's medical history is complicated by a predisposition to diseases, the probability that they will manifest more than half depends on lifestyle. Therefore, a person who adheres to the rules of a healthy lifestyle may not encounter diseases to which he is predisposed, while an alcoholic may get sick even at an early age, worsening the quality and duration of his life.

The best way to reduce the harm of alcohol is to stop drinking completely. There is no safe dose or less harmful drinks. If it is difficult for a person to give up ethanol, even if they are aware of its negative impact on health, they need to consult a narcologist.

You can learn about the effects of alcohol and how to treat alcoholism from a reliable source from a specialist. In the narcological clinic "Premium Clinic" anonymous consultations are held on the round-the-clock hotline 8 800 555-14-67.

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Редактор статьи — врач нашей клиники in Novosibirsk:

Калюжная Марина Александровна

Последняя модерация: 26 Марта 2024

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