People who drink alcohol can be divided into two types, one is to drink a lot and the face does not change color and heart does not beat, and the other is to "get on the face" after taking a sip.
If you are the second type, I advise you not to drink it.
Studies have shown that people who drink alcohol and blush are more likely to age and have a higher risk of several diseases, including cancer.
Combined with new research and expert perspectives, it tells you how alcohol harms your body and teaches you how to avoid risks.
1
Drinkers who blush don't drink anymore
People who blush from alcohol carry a genetic mutation in the ALDH2 gene, which encodes the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, which is responsible for breaking down acetaldehyde produced by alcohol metabolism. In this case, the activity of proteases in the human body is reduced, and the alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde accumulates in large quantities, causing flushing and inflammation of the human skin.
For many East Asians, a mutation in the ALDH2 gene causes acetaldehyde to accumulate in the body, and aldehydes accelerate aging, according to the study published in Nature Cell Biology.
Studies have revealed that aldehydes are a metabolic by-product associated with premature aging.
Even more terrible than causing aging is that acetaldehyde is a carcinogen:
- People who drink alcohol and blush often drink alcohol can greatly increase the risk of digestive cancers such as esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, etc.
- People who drink alcohol and blush will have a significant increased risk of stomach cancer even if they drink a small amount of alcohol, and alcohol consumption and ALDH2 mutation are important reasons for the high incidence of gastric cancer in Asian people.
- In addition to digestive cancers, carriers of the ALDH2 mutation gene have an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and Alzheimer's disease.
2
Which people are least recommended to drink alcohol
35%~45% of Asians carry ALDH2 gene mutations, which is much higher than the rest of the world. Whether you blush or not, as long as you drink, you can't escape the harm of alcohol.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long classified ethanol as a Group 1 carcinogen with strong evidence. The Lancet has published an article reminding that nearly half of the world's cancer deaths can be attributed to preventable risk factors. Among the risk factors, alcohol consumption is the second most important factor.
Zou Zhengsheng, chief physician of the Non-infectious Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment and Research Center of the Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, once said in an interview that alcohol is more harmful to special groups:
- Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have adverse consequences for fetal development, and alcohol abuse can lead to fetal malformations.
- Drinking alcohol while breastfeeding, alcohol can affect the child's cognitive function through breast milk, leading to difficulty concentrating, etc.
- Children and adolescents are in the stage of growth and development, and the function of organs is not perfect, even if a small amount of alcohol is consumed, the learning ability will be reduced, and the reaction speed will become sluggish.
- The various functions of the elderly body are declining, and the ability to metabolize alcohol is getting worse and worse, resulting in the blood alcohol content greatly exceeding the level of youth, and the alcohol is more likely to reach the internal organs.
3
How to avoid alcohol damage
Peng Dantao, chief physician of the Department of Neurology of China-Japan Hospital, said that no matter what kind of alcohol, in the final analysis, it contains alcohol, and it will be harmful to health when it enters the human body, so it is best not to drink it.
01 Don't give a reason for drinking
Some people will make excuses for drinking, such as using alcohol to "cheer" or "dispel sorrow", which will cause damage to the body that is difficult to recover.
When you have to, limit the amount you drink. For adults, the maximum amount of alcohol per day is recommended not to exceed 15 grams, which is equivalent to 450 ml of beer (4%), 150 ml of wine (12%), 50 ml of liquor (38%), 30 ml of high liquor (52%).
02 Don't persuade others to drink
People have different constitutions and different abilities to metabolize alcohol, so don't judge others by your own standards, and understand the difficulties when the other person refuses. If you are forced to drink, once you have an accident after drinking, you will have to bear legal responsibility as a co-drinker.
When you are advised to drink, if you are afraid of saving face, you can tell the other party that you have quit drinking, are taking medication, are allergic to alcohol, need to drive, and are preparing for pregnancy......
03 Avoid alcoholic foods
Do you think you can avoid the harm of alcohol without drinking? In fact, alcohol is also hidden in some foods that you often come into contact with.
- Pastries: Pastries such as egg yolk pie and Swiss rolls, in order to ensure that they maintain a fluffy taste and flavor during long-distance transportation and storage, some will add edible alcohol during processing.
- Rice wine: Rice wine is made by fermenting glutinous rice and koji, the saccharifying bacteria in the koji break down the starch in the glutinous rice into reducing sugars, and the yeast ferments and breaks down the sugars into alcohol.
- Seasoning: During the fermentation process of fermented bean curd and bean paste, microorganisms will decompose it into organic substances such as acetic acid, lactic acid, and alcohol, so it will contain a small amount of alcohol.
- Dishes cooked with wine: Dishes cooked with wine may also contain alcohol, such as drunken shrimp, drunken crab, drunken chicken, beer duck, beef stew with red wine, etc.
- Overripe fruits: Fruits that are overripe or left out for too long will ferment naturally, and microorganisms will convert the sugars in the fruit into ethanol and carbon dioxide. For example, the higher the sugar content of fruits such as lychees, grapes, bananas, bayberry, durian, etc., the more obvious the fermentation. ■
Source of this article: Life Times (id: LT0385)