There are many people who think that drinking a small amount of alcohol every day can soften the blood vessels, but is this the case? This article will explore whether there are any health effects on alcohol consumption through research in an internationally renowned journal.
This article will introduce three aspects
Relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer;
whether a small amount of daily alcohol consumption is good or harmful to health;
Chinese tolerance to alcohol.
First, the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer
On July 19, 2021, a study published in The Lancet Oncology showed that even a small amount of alcohol consumption increased the risk of cancer. The study shows that in 2020, 740,000 new cancers worldwide can be attributed to alcohol consumption, including esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, oral cancer, pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer and so on.
Among them, the proportion of men suffering from cancer due to alcohol consumption exceeds 76%, and women's alcohol consumption is most closely related to breast cancer, esophageal cancer, and liver cancer.
Why does alcohol cause cancer? Studies have confirmed that alcohol can lead to the occurrence and development of cancer by changing a variety of biological pathways such as human DNA, proteins and lipids. Oxidative stress caused by the alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde, hormone regulatory effects, etc., will increase the risk of cancer.
Second, a small amount of daily alcohol consumption is good for health or harmful
The Lancet study divided 740,000 participants into 3 levels: drinking less than 20g per day was moderate drinking, drinking 20-60g per day was risk drinking, and drinking more than 60g per day was heavy drinking.
The findings found that in cases of alcohol-related cancers, the proportion of risky drinking and heavy drinking was 86.1%, and the proportion of moderate alcohol consumption was 13.9%. In other words, no matter how much alcohol is consumed or how little, there is a risk of cancer. And the more you drink, the higher the risk.
In 2018, a study published in The Lancet by the Global Burden of Disease Study Group also confirmed that drinking alcohol does not bring any health benefits. Around the world, the number one killer of young people aged 15 to 49 is alcohol!
Third, Chinese tolerance to alcohol
After alcohol enters the body, it is first converted into acetaldehyde, and then further decomposed into non-toxic acetic acid. Among them, the first step requires ethanol dehydrogenase, Chinese the ethanol dehydrogenase activity is high, and this step can be completed quickly.
The second step from acetaldehyde to non-toxic acetic acid requires acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, but according to relevant studies, about one-third of Chinese acetaldehyde dehydrogenase mutation is present, and acetaldehyde cannot be effectively metabolized. If you drink alcohol heavily, acetaldehyde will accumulate in the body, dilate blood vessels, cause the face to turn red, induce genetic mutations, and increase the risk of cancer. Therefore, Chinese are at higher risk of alcohol-converted acetaldehyde poisoning.
Summary: Drinking a small amount of alcohol also carries a risk of cancer, and the greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the higher the risk.