alcohol | MY SPECIAL DOCTOR

The harms of alcohol

22 February 20246 January 2024 by psalari

Worldwide, 1 in 3 people consume alcoholic beverages regularly (equivalent to 2.4 billion people, of whom 1.5 billion are men and 900 million are women): this is the result of a recent study, published in August in the scientific journal Lancet, which reviewed 694 studies on alcohol consumption worldwide and assessed the health risks associated with drinking alcoholic beverages in 195 nations. The study shows that consuming 10 grams of alcohol per day increases the risk of developing health problems by 0.5 percent and by 7 percent in those who consume twice that amount.

Alcohol use is a risk factor for numerous diseases and can impair brain maturation, especially in those areas involved in impulse control. In adolescence the maturation of the brain is not complete; there are areas such as the limbic area that mature after the age of 20. That is why in some countries, for example in the United States, there is a ban on alcohol use under the age of 21. Alcohol’s damage not only affects the brain, but many other organs: in fact, it is a risk factor for many cancers (liver, oral cavity, throat). The organ most affected is the liver, but the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems are also affected by the toxic effect of alcohol. In addition, alcohol abusers are more prone to hypertension, stroke, and heart disease. Alcoholism causes malnutrition, but also impaired sexuality, decreased libido, infertility and impotence, and obesity. Bottom line:

Alcohol abuse is addictive and comparable to drugs;
Alcohol is carcinogenic and creates organ damage such as cirrhosis of the liver;
Weakens the immune system and gives increased susceptibility to infection;
It reduces the absorption of vitamins A, D and E;
It causes malnutrition and alterations in body weight;
It modifies hormone production, has a negative effect on fertility, and is not conducive to sexual performance;
In pregnancy it can create problems for the fetus and the unborn child;
May interfere with ongoing drug therapies;
It alters cognitive function and is a risk factor for cognitive impairment;
It alters attention, reduces reaction time and causes drowsiness, which is why alcohol should not be taken if you are driving.

Smoking and alcohol cause early damage to adolescents’ arteries

20 February 20246 January 2024 by rosanna.feroldi

Cigarettes always lit and group drinking, often to the point of being frankly drunk and feeling sick. These are all too common behaviors among adolescents, engaged in more to feel included and appreciated by peers than out of real individual pleasure or goliardic spirit. In the general belief that challenging the limits of one’s body and having the “courage” to dare more than others serves to assert one’s worth.

But this is as risky a belief as ever, as well as completely wrong, because even a young, healthy body suffers greatly from the toxic effects of smoking and alcohol. And not only after years of immoderate consumption, but also in the immediate term and for modest amounts, especially when their intake occurs at the same time, multiplying the damage at multiple levels, often synergistically.

The harmful effects on the organism

Even when taken individually, smoking and alcohol are harmful to the body on several fronts. The former, promotes respiratory diseases and several types of cancers (first and foremost that of the lung, but also of the mouth and throat, stomach, colorectum, and breast), reduces fertility, increases cardiovascular and metabolic risk, and complicates acute and chronic diseases already present, especially inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is neurotoxic (centrally and peripherally), harmful to the liver (promotes fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver), the kidneys and the gastrointestinal system, and, if taken in excess, the cardiovascular system as well (where “excess” means more than a couple of glasses of wine a day, a limit beyond which any hypothetical benefit is lost). Not to mention the risks consequent to the psychotropic and sensory effects of alcohol (euphoria, reduced reflexes, drowsiness, altered vision, etc.), often the cause of traffic accidents and borderline behavior.

When the cigarette is in one hand and the glass in the other, the problems quickly multiply, even if the hands in question are those of beardless (or nearly so) teenagers, seemingly immune to acute or chronic ailments and diseases and far removed from vascular degenerative phenomena typical of old age, such as atherosclerosis.

Young arteries at risk

A collaborative study between a number of prestigious clinical institutions in the United Kingdom (University College and King’s College London, St. Thomas’ Hospital and the University of Bristol) and Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, indicated that smoking and alcohol promote the early onset of stiffness and thickening of the walls of the arteries already in 17-year-olds taking only one or both of the two, even from relatively short periods of time (1-5 years).

The extent of the vascular damage mentioned, measured indirectly as blood flow velocity between carotid and femoral artery with pulsed Doppler (Pulse Wave Velocity, PWV), appeared to be correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked and the amount of alcohol consumed, being in both cases increasing with increasing consumption of each substance and particularly marked when smoking and alcohol were combined.

But there is also good news: quitting smoking and drinking when the atherosclerotic process is just starting allows it to regress completely, restoring the arteries of ex-smoking and “ex-drinking” teens to a condition comparable to those of never-smoking and lifelong teetotal peers. An outcome that cannot, however, be hoped for later in life, and which should lead to strong disincentives to smoking and alcohol use in young people, partly to prevent the consolidation of two decidedly harmful habits.

Sources:

Article: Charakida M et al. Early vascular damage from smoking and alcohol in teenage years: the ALSPAC study. European Heart Journal 2019;40:345-353
Editorial: Münzel T et al. Double hazard of smoking and alcohol on vascular function in adolescents. European Heart Journal 2019;40:354-356

Not just drugs and alcohol: addictions are many more

18 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Even when they are not related to the intake of substances with a direct harmful action on the body, addictions are always negative because they make one a slave to situations or behaviors that one cannot do without, greatly limiting one’s freedom of choice and quality of life. Usually, we find ourselves falling victim to it almost without realizing it and, often, even having a hard time admitting it to ourselves. But what are the substances and circumstances that one should pay attention to in daily life? Here are the
10 most common causes of addiction
.

Alcohol: when does pleasure become a problem?

20 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Not being able to do without drinking while trying hard. Drinking in secret from family and friends. Giving alcohol priority over professional commitments, family and social relationships, giving up trips, activities and pleasant situatio ns just because you could not drink as much as you would like. These are all unmistakable signs that you have a problem with alcohol. But often, especially in the beginning, the addiction is less obvious and difficult to recognize. Honestly evaluate whether and how many of these
8 lesser-known warning signs concern you and, if necessary, do not hesitate to seek support from medical experts on the problem. The more time passes, the worse the addiction and health damage gets.

Alcohol: a pleasure or a problem?

12 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

A glass of good wine at the table, the aperitif after the work, a beer with friends. Spirits, since time immemorial, have been a presence almost inevitable of any convivial, cheerful or relaxed situation, goliardic or reflective. Taken occasionally, in moderate amounts, by adult people, they are an essentially harmless and consequence-free pleasure. When, on the other hand, they begin to become a permanent fixture (if not actually a necessity) and the quantities consumed gradually increase, you should turn on a wake-up call: it could be the beginning of an addiction, that needs to be nipped in the bud. These signs to watch out for To see if alcohol is becoming a problem.