What happens to the body when you drink alcohol? -Life Health

Understand the effects of alcohol on health to adjust your drinking habits from today.

Dehydration

Dehydration is not just a feeling of dryness in the lips or skin that we still feel. It can contribute to neurological, urinary, circulatory and digestive disorders. When you drink alcohol, it inhibits the “rehydration” hormone in the body called antidiuretic hormone. Alcohol itself is also a diuretic, which means it draws water out of your body. When it comes to dehydration from drinking alcohol, it can also lead to an electrolyte imbalance. The severity of the electrolyte imbalance depends on the severity of the dehydration. For example, sometimes rehydration with drinks with electrolytes, like coconut water or sports drinks, can be of great help. But other times, this imbalance can be serious and require medical treatment.

Breast cancer

Drinking alcoholic beverages every day may increase your risk breast cancer Alcohol increases estrogen levels in the body. When the body breaks down alcohol, it creates byproducts that can cause cancer. The more you drink, the harder it is for your body to get rid of them. Women are especially susceptible to the effects of carcinogens from puberty until their first pregnancy, so timing also plays an important role.

The intestinal tract is affected

Drinking alcohol can affect the composition and metabolic function of the gastrointestinal tract. Alcohol causes our stomach cells to produce an excess of gastric acid. This can cause stomach upset and nausea. Continuous excessive alcohol consumption has been shown to cause stress, promoting the development of alcoholic liver disease, among other conditions.

Pancreatitis

Alcohol is the second most common cause of acute pancreatitis. Ethanol from alcohol promotes initial pancreatic damage by inflaming and sticking cells around the pancreas. Continuing to consume too much alcohol inhibits the body’s ability to repair damaged cells. A diet rich in nutrients such as thiamine, folate, fiber, and vitamin D has been shown to provide protection from pancreatic damage.

Cirrhosis

The liver is the first organ that many people think of when talking about alcohol. Obviously, drinking too much can lead to fat accumulation in your liver and eventually to cirrhosis. Fortunately, the early stages of liver disease are reversible, but cirrhosis is not. Body fat is heavily influenced by alcohol and can have a profound impact on liver health.

In a healthy body, adipose tissue is necessary and important for longevity. Over time, however, drinking too much alcohol breaks down fat cells and sends them to the liver, where they can accumulate and lead to chronic liver disease. Obesity has been shown to exacerbate this effect. So, regular exercise reduces fat accumulation in the liver, and it improves overall body composition, which helps protect the body from liver disease.