In the memory of the Spring Festival of our people, on the table of family reunion, in addition to the leftovers with the flavor of the New Year, there is one thing that is always particularly conspicuous - wine. This wine, just like the "atmosphere responsibility" of the Spring Festival, catalyzed by the lively atmosphere, has made many adult friends open the "bold mode". Everyone pushes the cup and changes the lamp, as if they are engaged in a "drinking competition", as if the more they drink, the more the feelings are like vines in spring, and the entanglement becomes deeper and deeper; The higher the alcohol content, the more sincere it is like giving the other party a heavy gift.
But did you know? Behind this pursuit of drinking pleasure, our bodies are like overused old machines, and they have begun to "protest". Not to mention that after a hangover, the head is like being hit by countless small hammers, dizzy and painful, from a health point of view alone, there are many studies that are "eyeing" the matter of drinking. The liver, for example, is like a diligent "cleaner", diligently metabolizing various substances for our body. But as soon as the "troublemakers" of alcohol came, the situation became worse. More than 90% of the alcohol you drink has to go through the "checkpoint" of the liver to complete your metabolism. If you consume too much alcohol, the "cleaner" of the liver will be too busy, and the workload will suddenly increase, just like a person who used to easily carry a load of water, but now suddenly has to pick up several loads, how can he not be tired? In the long run, the liver can easily "strike", causing alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis, step by step towards liver cirrhosis, and even the terrible liver cancer.
A study in Nature is like a rigorous "detective" who carefully explores the relationship between drinking and health. The researchers recruited 312599 "volunteers" from the UK Biospecimen Database and followed them closely for an average of 12.6 years. It's like putting a "health tracker" on these people, keeping an eye on their drinking patterns, genetic predisposition, and the impact of factors such as diabetes on alcohol-related liver disease. The results were surprising: those who liked to drink quickly and heavily or were often drunk had a rocket-like risk of cirrhosis compared to those who drank a little alcohol every day. And if you are a heavy drinker and have a high genetic predisposition, the risk of cirrhosis soars to 6 times, which is like dancing on the edge of a cliff, and the risk factor skyrockets.
People who drink excessively, binge, and heavily alcoholic beverages have also quantified their risk of developing alcoholic cirrhosis. The data shows that the risk of these three groups of people suffering from alcoholic cirrhosis is 1.33 times, 2.37 times, and 3.85 times that of normal drinkers, respectively. In terms of alcoholic hepatitis, the risk is also not to be underestimated, with 2.39 times, 5.16 times, and 9.38 times higher, respectively. This unhealthy drinking pattern, like a "health killer" hidden in the dark, quietly induces liver disease.
A study of 6,000 people in Finland came to a similar conclusion. The risk ratio for liver-related events, such as liver-related hospitalizations, liver cancer, or liver-related death, is like a rising thermometer for people who drink heavily or quickly or are drunk each week, hovering between 3.0 and 4.5. And this study, like an "upgrade fight" based on the Finnish study, found more liver-related events in a larger cohort. It also reaffirms that alcohol abuse (more than 72 grams per day for heavy drinkers and more than 96 grams per day for men) is associated with a higher risk of cirrhosis, almost 4 times higher than normal, which is like a heavy wake-up call.
Seeing this, some people may think, since drinking alcohol is so harmful to the body, is it relatively safe to "drink", just like putting a "thin veil" on the body, which can play a certain protective role? But the truth may disappoint you, there is no such thing as a moderate amount of drinking.
Last November, researchers at Peking University published an article in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, which lifted a veil of mystery pointing out the dangers of drinking alcohol in moderation. Their study included data from 2004-2008 on about 510,000 people in ten different urban and rural areas of China. These people range in age from 30 to 79 years old, with about 210,000 men and 300,000 women, like a "big panel" covering different age groups and genders. The results of the study clearly show that there is a positive correlation between alcohol intake and the risk of death and related diseases, as if they are tied together by a rope, and even small amounts of alcohol cannot escape this "curse".
Back in 2018, The Lancet categorically stated that "the safest amount of alcohol to drink is zero", which is like setting up a clear sign on the road to health that tells us that not drinking alcohol is the safest choice.
But in life, there are always some helpless moments, such as socializing at work, and many people are like falling into a "drinking dilemma" and have to raise their glasses. From the perspective of reducing the harm of alcohol to the human body, the continental dietary guidelines give a relatively mild recommendation: drink no more than 15 grams of alcohol per day. At the same time, it is clearly stated that children, adolescents, pregnant women, nursing mothers, as well as people with chronic diseases, like a group of "vulnerable groups" who need special protection, are not recommended to drink alcohol.
Drinking alcohol is not only bad for the liver, but also not very friendly to the stomach. The stomach is like a fragile "pouch", and alcohol can be very irritating to it. However, the act of eating is like putting a "protective coat" on the stomach, which can reduce the irritation of the stomach lining by alcohol, and can also reduce the concentration of alcohol and delay its absorption by the body.
It's also important to note that drinking alcohol mixed with alcohol is like playing a dangerous "game" that makes it easier to get drunk. Moreover, carbonated drinks like cola should never be "accompanied" with alcohol. This is because carbon dioxide acts like an "accelerator" that accelerates the absorption of alcohol. In the same way, coffee should not be drunk with alcohol, caffeine will make people high, like giving people a dose of "stimulant", the more you drink, the more you drink, the more you drink, the more you drink.
Many people, after getting drunk, are like grasping at a life-saving straw and pinning their hopes on hangover cures. But in reality, most of these hangover remedies are like "embroidered pillows", which are not used in the middle. Their ingredients are either traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as kudzu and kudzu flowers, or they contain nutrients such as protein, vitamin B group, etc. However, none of these can really increase the amount and activity of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, so the hangover effect is very limited. If you eat it regularly, it may put an extra "burden" on the liver and kidneys, increase the burden on the liver and kidneys, and then cause damage.
The honey hydrolysis commonly used in daily life has only an average effect. Although the fructose in honey can speed up alcohol metabolism to a certain extent, it must be in sufficient amount. But how much can you eat to have a noticeable effect? There is no definitive conclusion yet, like a mysterious mystery that is unpredictable.
In fact, the alcohol-metabolizing enzymes that determine the upper limit of a person's alcohol consumption are like being determined by the "commander" of genes, and trying to change it with food and drugs is like trying to reach the sky with bare hands, which basically does not work. So, instead of hoping for these unreliable methods, it's better to drink plenty of water during or after drinking. Water is like a "little cleansing guard" in the body, which may be able to speed up the dilution and emptying of alcohol, thus providing a relatively safe hangover treatment.
In the Spring Festival, a time full of joy and reunion, although wine can add a lot of atmosphere, it must be treated with caution for the sake of our health. Have you ever had to drink at a drinking party, but you are worried about your health? If you had to choose, what would you do between connecting your relationship and your physical health?