"Doctor, I heard that drinking some liquor can keep you healthy, why just..." Uncle Zhang looked confused, clutching the cold diagnosis book in his hand - advanced liver cancer.
"Lao Zhang, I have persuaded you many times, excessive drinking is harmless!" The doctor's voice was reproachful and helpless.
Uncle Zhang looked at the sky outside the window and remembered the days when he had a few glasses of liquor every day in the past, and at that time, he would never have thought that there would be today.
1. Insisting on drinking liquor can fight cancer and prolong life?
The spread of this saying that "drinking baijiu can fight cancer" has become a big excuse for many alcoholics, but in fact there are misunderstandings and rumors.
At first, this statement was due to research that there was a thing called "lichen" in the composition of liquor, which may have antiviral, antibacterial, anti-cancer and other effects, and it was passed down that "baijiu has anti-cancer effects".
In fact, the content of these components in baijiu is extremely low, far from reaching the level of being able to fight cancer.
If you want to consume enough anti-cancer ingredients by drinking liquor, then this amount is very huge, and its harm to the body far exceeds the potential anti-cancer effect.
In other words, there is no scientific basis to support the claim that drinking liquor fights cancer.
But what is certain is that drinking alcohol is indeed bad for health and is one of the leading causes of death, in 2018, the World Health Organization statistics showed that about 3 million people die from alcohol consumption worldwide every year.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has long classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen. Acetaldehyde, a metabolite of alcohol, has a damaging effect on DNA and may cause cells to become cancerous.
A large number of studies and data have shown that long-term alcohol consumption is closely related to the occurrence of a variety of cancers, including oral cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, etc.
Therefore, if you really want to fight cancer and live a long life, not drinking alcohol is the right choice.
2. Which is more harmful to the liver, white wine, red wine, or beer?
Of the three common types of liquor, white wine, red wine, and beer, the most harmful to the liver is usually liquor.
In terms of alcohol content, the higher the alcohol content, the greater the metabolic burden on the liver, which greatly increases the risk of liver damage.
White wine: The highest content, usually between 38% and 60%, much higher than red wine and beer.
Red wine: Alcohol is usually between 8 and 15 percent, and there are some components in red wine, such as antioxidants and acids, that are thought to have some cardiovascular protection.
However, this does not mean that you can drink red wine freely, as long as you drink too much, it will harm the liver.
Beer: The lowest alcohol content, generally between 3% and 5%. Beer contains a lot of carbonated gas, which can accelerate the absorption of alcohol and increase the risk of liver damage.
From the perspective of the effect on the liver, there are studies that prove that strong liquor can seriously damage liver cells, and this damage is irreversible. In contrast, red wine has mild damage to the liver and is a reversible lesion.
Beer is less damaging to the liver than pure ethanol (i.e., non-alcoholic beverages) and has a relatively more complex composition than liquor.
In general, white wine is probably the most liver-damaging alcohol, with red wine and beer being relatively mild.
However, this is only relative, and does not mean that it is okay to choose less harmful alcohol to drink, and this is not an excuse to drink casually.
3. There are 4 signals in your body that remind you to drink less
Friends who love to drink, don't ignore these physical protests, which may be a warning of too much drinking!
1. Abdominal pain
When alcohol enters the body, it can irritate the gastric mucosa, leading to an increase in gastric acid secretion, which in turn causes stomach discomfort.
Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to the occurrence of digestive diseases such as chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, and in severe cases, it can even cause gastric bleeding or gastric perforation.
2. Vomiting
Alcohol can directly damage the gastric mucosal barrier, causing acute gastric mucosal lesions, and when the lesions are aggravated, epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting and other symptoms will occur.
3. Headache
After drinking alcohol, acetaldehyde produced by metabolism in the body will dilate blood vessels, causing increased intracranial pressure and causing headaches.
In addition, alcohol itself has a certain central nervous system depressive effect, and excessive intake can lead to neurological disorders and can also induce headaches.
4. Heart palpitations
Heavy alcohol consumption increases the workload of the heart and increases the heart rate, which can cause symptoms of heart palpitations. At the same time, alcohol can also cause blood pressure to rise, further increasing the burden on the heart. Heart palpitations can cause an irregular heartbeat, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term.
Fourth, drinking liquor like this will hurt the body less
At every dinner, liquor is always indispensable. Today, Xiao Jiu will share with you a few tips for drinking liquor to help you navigate the wine table with ease, neither rudeness nor injury.
Moderate amount
The alcohol concentration of baijiu is relatively high, and it is generally recommended to drink no more than 25 ml (about 1 tael) each time to avoid harm caused by alcohol.
Choose high-quality liquor
Choose liquor products that are of reliable quality and meet food safety requirements to ensure that the liquor you drink is delicious and healthy.
Do not drink on an empty stomach
Avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach because alcohol can be directly absorbed by the body without digestion, and drinking alcohol on an empty stomach will speed up the absorption of alcohol in the body, increasing health risks.
At the same time, it is possible to eat something before drinking, which will not only form some protection in the stomach but also reduce irritation to the stomach lining.
In short, when drinking liquor, you should pay attention to moderate and slow drinking, avoid fasting and mixed drinking, and pay attention to personal health and drinking environment to avoid harm to the body.
Resources:
[1] "How dangerous is it for a man to drink 3 catties of liquor on the spot?".
[2] "Chinese drink alcohol has the highest risk of causing cancer?"The Lancet sub-journal released a report".Medical Community.2021-07-06
[3] "How to drink alcohol to be healthy?the answer is only this one", Health Circle.2022-08-16
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