Alcohol and You: An Interactive Body Text
One of the main functions of the kidneys is to regulate both the volume and the composition of body fluid, including electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and chloride ions. However, alcohol can have the diuretic effect of increasing urine volume. This in turn can change the body’s fluid level and disturb the electrolyte balance. If you misuse alcohol over a long time, this continued process can cause inflammation in the pancreas that results in its swelling and pain (which may spread). Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being.
Research has demonstrated that long-term heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle, causing cardiomyopathy. Alcohol misuse can also lead to high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), or increased heart rate. Chronic, heavy drinking raises the risk for ischemic heart disease (heart problems caused by narrowed arteries) and myocardial infarction (heart attack). For individuals ages 18 and older, even a serving or two of alcohol per day can increase the risk of certain cancers, and drinking heavily over the years can cause irreversible damage to virtually every organ.
Does alcohol help you sleep?
Fortunately, diseases caused by alcohol misuse can be prevented by reducing—or, even better—stopping drinking alcohol. In addition to its effects on the brain, alcohol also affects the peripheral nervous system, which comprises the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Chronic pancreatitis can have these symptoms as well, which causes significant reduction in pancreatic function and digestion, and blood sugar problems. This inflammation is called pancreatitis, and it prevents the pancreas from working properly. Pancreatitis can occur as a sudden attack, called acute pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis can turn into a condition of constant inflammation of pancreas, which is known as chronic pancreatitis.
Heart
That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work. Dr. Sengupta https://xn--80acccfbbj1agy2aadbcyd3aimk.xn--p1ai/peripheral-neuropathy-what-it-is-symptoms/ shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body. And that’s on top of the toll that alcohol use can take on relationships, not to mention the potential for financial strain and legal troubles. You probably already know that excessive drinking can affect you in more ways than one.
Alcohol damages cells, changes hormone levels
- Current research points to health risks even at low amounts of alcohol consumption, regardless of beverage type.
- In addition to its effects on the brain, alcohol also affects the peripheral nervous system, which comprises the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
- That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system, slow healing and make your body more susceptible to infection.
In summary, alcohol misuse, acutely and/or chronically, can cause stomach irritation, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), ulcers, and bleeding. These clinical conditions may be worsened by drinking alcohol and take medications like aspirin that can also cause the same problems. Chronic alcohol misuse, as well as binge drinking, can cause high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Alcohol use can thicken those fluids, which can clog the ducts that those fluids flow out of,” Dr. Sengupta explains. Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the nation behind tobacco and obesity. It also acts as a diuretic and can cause dehydration by increasing urine production. Violette explains dehydration can lead to electrolyte imbalances of sodium, potassium, and chloride.
Heart health
Drinking too much alcohol can weaken the immune system, what is alcoholism making the body a much easier target for disease. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows the body’s ability to ward off infections–even up to 24 hours later. Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer. Recent studies suggest that females are more susceptible than males to alcohol-induced liver inflammation, cardiovascular disease, memory blackouts, hangovers and certain cancers. For people in cancer treatment, regularly consuming a few beers or cocktails can make chemotherapy less effective and increase side effects from treatment.
It can harm your brain, liver, heart, kidneys, skin, and pancreas. Another neurotransmitter impacted by alcohol is gamma aminobutyric acid, or GABA. Alcohol interactions with does drinking alcohol affect your kidneys GABA receptors contribute to behavioral effects such as motor incoordination and sedation or sleepiness. Someone who is already feeling sleepy probably will feel sleepier after drinking alcohol.
Physical effects
The morning after a night of over-imbibing can cause some temporary effects on your brain. Things like trouble concentration, slow reflexes and sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds are standard signs of a hangover, and evidence of alcohol’s effects on your brain. When you drink too much alcohol, it can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut. In reality, there’s no evidence that drinking beer (or your alcoholic beverages of choice) actually contributes to belly fat.
- Your liver detoxifies and removes alcohol from your blood through a process known as oxidation.
- Keep reading for more information on how alcohol can affect your body.
- Acute pancreatitis can turn into a condition of constant inflammation of pancreas, which is known as chronic pancreatitis.
Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes. Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health. If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink. That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system, slow healing and make your body more susceptible to infection. Your body breaks alcohol down into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages your DNA. Damaged DNA can cause a cell to grow out of control, which results in cancerous tumors.
