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Alcohol: Toxic Or Tonic?

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Alcohol: Toxic Or Tonic?

Alcohol: Poison or Tonic

For some people, drinking in moderation can be beneficial. However, at higher levels, it is deadly.

The health effects of alcohol have been debated for hundreds of years. The current consensus is that alcohol, like many things in life, can be beneficial or harmful depending on how it is used.
After a thorough investigation, researchers have concluded that the health benefits alcohol come from "moderate" drinking only, defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. (A "drink" equals 12 ounces of beer or wine cooler, five ounces of wine or one-half ounces of distilled spirits.) With heavier drinking, the benefits are lost and kick significant risks.

When it comes to alcohol, women are disadvantaged that has nothing to do with body size: A woman of 250 pounds is more likely to be damaged by alcohol is a man 140 pounds . That's because women have higher levels of the liver enzyme that metabolizes alcohol in the body, allowing them to metabolize alcohol about 20 percent faster than men. Although this might seem to be an asset, faster metabolism Alcohol is not a good thing. Much of the damage done to the body is not caused by alcohol itself, but by the acetaldehyde, a highly reactive by-product of alcohol metabolism. When alcohol breaks down quickly, as it is in women, more of this toxic chemical is produced in less time, causing more damage.

Health Benefits

The benefit for the greatest health of alcohol is its apparent ability to protect the arteries and heart. Studies have shown conclusively that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of death from coronary heart disease. New research indicates that moderate alcohol use can reduce the risk of stroke. Although scientists are not yet sure why alcohol has a protective effect, they have proposed two theories: First, alcohol increases blood levels of "good" cholesterol HDL (high density lipoprotein), which clears the plate of the arteries. Second, alcohol affects clotting mechanisms of the body, reducing the chance that a clot will block a blood vessel.

Regardless of whether you drink beer, wine or spirits, the (and harmful) beneficial effects of alcohol are the same. However, there is some controversy about whether red wine has additional heart benefits derived from something other than its alcohol content. Red wine - and red grape juice, for that matter - has high levels of natural chemicals called flavonoids, which act as antioxidants and may reduce the harmful effects of LDL "bad" LDL (low density lipoprotein). Other studies suggest that alcohol itself, rather than other ingredients in wine that confer health benefits.

Health Hazards

Despite the benefits for psychological and physical health, alcohol is far from benign. Even moderate levels of only one or two drinks, alcohol can cause serious problems:

• drug interactions. Many drugs, such as alcohol, are metabolized by the liver. Since the liver has a limited processing capacity at any given time, these substances can compete. As a result, the effects of some drugs can be blocked while others can be increased.
• Night blindness. Alcohol may decrease the ability of the retina to adapt to low light
• accidents. Alcohol impairs judgment and slows reflexes, which can lead to falls or vehicle accidents or other machinery.
• Breast cancer. Even consuming only one drink per day can increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Although scientists are not sure why this might be true, some studies suggest that alcohol increases estrogen levels in the body, which can promote breast cancer. Women can reduce the risk of breast cancer by taking folic acid daily Extra.

excessive alcohol consumption - more than two drinks per day for women or more than four a day for men - may have additional health consequences:

• liver disease. Alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis are the two most common consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which ultimately can cause permanent damage if drinking continues. Cirrhosis occurs when the liver damage is so severe that scarring interferes with blood flow and liver function.
• Other cancers. Excessive consumption of alcohol, especially when combined with smoking appears to increase the risk of cancer of the throat and esophagus. Increases the risk of liver cancer in alcoholics who have hepatitis or cirrhosis. In addition, some studies have found that the risk of colorectal cancer also increases with the use of alcohol.
• Hypertension and stroke . Excessive alcohol consumption leads to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke.
• Heart problems. Alcoholism can directly cause cardiomyopathy, a form of heart disease in which the heart becomes enlarged, it weakens and eventually loses its ability to function properly. Consumption extremely large amounts of alcohol can cause sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias.
• pancreatitis. Overuse of alcohol can cause recurrent attacks of severe pain caused by inflammation of the pancreas, the organ responsible for many of the enzymes necessary for digestion. If drinking continues, the pancreas ultimately may be permanently damaged and stop working.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms . Alcohol can cause a wide range of common, uncomfortable but reversible problems, such as gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), diarrhea and weight loss. These interrelated problems are due to the effects that alcohol has on the stomach lining and the deterioration of intestinal enzymes and transport systems.
• Reproductive effects . People who drink heavily can become sterile. In men, alcohol reduces sperm count and can cause impotence. In women, alcohol can cause hormonal changes that can result in irregular menstruation and infertility.

Adults who choose to drink should remember that the health benefits come only moderate consumption low. For those who do not drink, most experts recommend not start. The risk of alcoholism is true, the only way to prevent development of the disease is not to start drinking in the first place.

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