During the National Day holiday, many people will gather with friends, and it is inevitable to drink and drink. However, nowadays, many people like to mix "wine and drinks" together, or even mix them into cocktails, so that the taste and texture have some new changes.
However, a recent study found that drinking "alcohol + drinks" in this way will cause damage to the brain, and the harm is greater than drinking alone!
Photo by Health Times Jing Xuetao
These 2 drinks are mixed and drunk together,
It can cause long-term damage to the brain!
In August 2024, researchers from Italy published a study in the journal Neuropharmacology that found that "alcohol + drinks" combined with this way can cause long-term damage to the brain. ①
Screenshot of the study
To verify the hazards, the researchers selected adolescent male rats. The researchers divided them into 4 groups:
Group 1: Drink tap water
Group 2: Drinking
Group 3: Drink energy drinks (Red Bull)
Group 4: Alcohol + energy drink mix
The study lasted 53 days and rats were fed and the rats in the drinking group received the equivalent of "18-24 grams of alcohol per day for an adult weighing 70 kg"; The energy drink group was given "2 cans of energy drinks per day for an adult weighing 70 kg".
After the experiment, the researchers evaluated the brain cognitive function of the four groups of rats through brain scans and behavioral tests. The study showed that the rats in the "alcoholic drink group" showed lasting changes in learning and memory ability, especially the plasticity of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is an important area of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
Over time, the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factors decreased significantly in rats drinking alcohol mixed drink mixtures, leading to a decline in learning and memory function.
Researchers say the harm of mixing energy drinks with alcohol may stem from the interaction of the two. Alcohol itself has an inhibitory effect on the brain, and the caffeine in energy drinks acts as a stimulant. Caffeine may prevent the brain from feeling tired, thus masking the inhibiting effects of alcohol. This makes it possible for the drinker to unknowingly consume excessive amounts of alcohol, which can increase the damage to the brain.
Photo by Health Times Jing Xuetao
People who drink alcohol regularly hurt these 3 organs the most
Many people know that drinking alcohol is not good and drinking alcohol hurts the liver, but in fact, studies have found that people who drink alcohol often hurt these 3 organs the most - brain, heart, and liver!
1. People who drink alcohol regularly have accelerated brain aging and atrophy
Xu Chao, a urologist at the Affiliated Reproductive Hospital of Shandong University, shared a comparison picture of alcoholic brain atrophy and a normal brain on his personal social platform in 2022, and the alcoholic brain atrophy (left) in the picture is significantly half smaller than that of the normal brain (right).
Screenshot of Dr. Xu Chao's Weibo
A 2022 study published in Nature · Communications analyzed the data of more than 36,000 middle-aged and elderly people and found that even small amounts of alcohol were associated with a decrease in brain volume. The more alcohol is consumed, the more pronounced the degree of change in brain volume becomes. Moreover, changes in brain volume in regular drinkers are not concentrated in a specific brain region, but are widespread throughout the brain region, similar to the changes in the brain caused by aging. ②
Screenshot of the study
2. People who drink alcohol regularly have a bad heart and liver
A 2023 study in the Journal of the United States Heart Association found that heavy drinking and binge drinking were associated with ectopic fat accumulation, with the strongest association with pericardial and liver fat accumulation!
Compared with lifelong non-drinkers, heavy drinkers had significantly higher pericardial fat, liver fat, visceral fat, and intermuscular fat, but lower subcutaneous fat. Excessive visceral fat can lead to obesity and a variety of diseases. ③
These 4 places hurt, it's time to quit drinking!
Zhi Jiehua, deputy chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology of the First People's Hospital of Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, published an article in the People's Daily Health Account in 2023 to remind that many people think that only liver damage needs to consider quitting alcohol, but they don't know that pain in these 4 parts of the body is a signal to quit drinking! ④
1. Liver pain
The liver, as a metabolic organ, is most susceptible to stimulation and damage from alcohol. Long-term drinking of large amounts of alcohol can lead to symptoms such as liver pain, discomfort in the liver area, and abnormal liver function. Feeling of bloating, dullness, or a constant dull ache is a common manifestation of liver pain.
2. Stomach pain
Alcohol has an irritating effect on the gastric mucosa, which can lead to increased gastric acid secretion, which in turn can lead to gastritis and gastric ulcers. Stomach pain usually manifests as epigastric pain, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting.
3. Heart pain
Excessive alcohol intake may not only cause damage to the liver but may also have adverse effects on the heart. People who have been drinking heavily for a long time may experience symptoms of heart pain, which is mainly related to the toxic effects of alcohol on the heart, leading to problems such as irregular heartbeat, myocardial ischemia, etc. Heart pain usually manifests as sternal cramping, tingling, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
4. Muscle and joint pain
Alcohol causes water loss in the body, triggering dehydration, which in turn puts a strain on muscles and joints. Problems such as muscle pain, arthritis and gout are common in alcoholics, and are characterized by symptoms such as muscle aches, swollen joints, and pain.
Photo by Health Times Kou Xiaowen
If you have to drink,
Remember 5 points to minimize damage
Drinking alcohol can be said to be not good for the body, but sometimes you have to drink alcohol for holiday parties, how can you minimize the damage? Keep these 5 points in mind:
1. Never have an empty stomach before drinking
It is recommended not to eat on an empty stomach before drinking, but to consume vegetables, meat and yogurt in moderation, which can effectively slow down the absorption of alcohol and thus play a protective role in the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Drink slowly and don't take big gulps
The key to reducing the harm of drinking alcohol is to drink slowly and avoid large gulps. Anyone who has ever had a drinking experience knows that a large toast can easily lead to overconsumption. The harm of drinking too fast is that the stimulation of the digestive tract is excessive in a short period of time, and the body cannot tolerate large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Therefore, taking small sips and drinking slowly can provide the liver with sufficient time to metabolize, thereby reducing the damage of alcohol to the body.
3. Drink plenty of plain water after drinking
The key to avoiding alcohol harm is to get the alcohol out of the body quickly and efficiently. After drinking, you should increase your water intake, especially plain water, to promote urination, thereby accelerating the metabolism and excretion of alcohol.
4. Don't mix alcohol with drinks
Many people are accustomed to drinking white wine and then drinking some red wine and beer, and people with drinking experience will find it easy to get drunk; There are also people who like to drink some carbonated drinks, energy drinks, etc., which will make it easier for the body to absorb alcohol and accelerate drunkenness. Therefore, if you can drink it without mixing with alcohol, you should drink it without mixing with alcohol, and it is best not to drink it with beverages.
5. Drink some honey water or sugar water after drinking
Sugars can promote the metabolism of the liver and accelerate the metabolism of alcohol in the liver. Some people experience low blood sugar after drinking alcohol, and drinking some sugar water is also beneficial. It is recommended to drink more soup and water when drinking, which has the effect of diluting alcohol and promoting excretion. ⑤
This article is synthesized from:
①Mixing energy drinks and alcohol during adolescence impairs brain function: A study of rat hippocampal plasticity,Neuropharmacology,Volume 254,2024,109993,ISSN 0028-3908,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109993.
②Daviet, R., Aydogan, G., Jagannathan, K. et al. Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank. Nat Commun 13, 1175 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28735-5
③Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Ectopic Fat in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Am Heart Assoc, 8 Sep 2023
(4)2023-07-22People's Daily Health Account "Gastroenterology Branch Doctor" "If People Who Love Drinking Hurt in 4 Places, It's Time to Quit Drinking"
(5)2021-02-08Health Times.com "Drinking Hurts Your Body? It's the Spring Festival, and digestive experts will answer for you what are the alcohol injuries"