The consumption of alcoholic beverages in both young people and adults is an issue that generates concern. Alcohol is harmful to health, especially if the person does it excessively, regularly and for long periods.
Organs such as the brain, liver, heart or cell metabolism can be affected by excessive intake of products containing this substance. It is common for people to think that over the years they have more control over this practice and that being an adult does not generate negative consequences for the body. However, it is not so.
Alcohol can cause various effects in the body. For example, it slows the heart and breathing rate, and affects the proper functioning of the brain. This can occur within 10 minutes and peak around 40 to 60 minutes later, experts say.
According to the US National Library of Medicine, the amount and type of food in a person’s stomach can change how quickly alcohol takes effect in the body. For example, foods high in carbohydrates and fats can make the body absorb alcohol more slowly.
Alcohol stays in the bloodstream until the liver breaks it down. The amount of alcohol in the blood is called the BAC level. If the person consumes alcohol faster than the liver can break it down, this level rises.
Since there are liquors that are stronger than others and can cause more or less damage, especially in the liver, research conducted by the University of Oxford and published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism concludes that there is a type of alcoholic beverage that might be slightly harmful to this organ.
The scientists reached that conclusion following analyzing the effects of multiple alcoholic beverages on rodents. In the experiment, the researchers created four groups. The first group of mice were intoxicated with beer; the second was given beers without hops; to the third, ethanol; and to the fourth group, a neutral control solution.
After 12 hours of starting the experiment, the mice that drank beers with hops had less fat in their livers, compared to those that drank ethanol. Those in the non-hopped beers group had the same amount of fat as those in the ethanol group, so the scientists factored out other components of the beer.
The researchers also found that the livers of mice that drank hoppy beer suffered less damage from oxidative stress, indicating that hops have an antioxidant effect.
This is how you can take care of the liver damaged by alcohol
If due to excessive alcohol consumption a person has problems in this organ, it is important to follow some recommendations. One of them is care with food: eating a balanced, low-fat diet is essential, as it plays a key role in the purification process. Foods rich in water, antioxidants and vitamins are ideal.
Another tip is to increase your water intake, because like the other organs of the body, the liver needs large amounts of this essential liquid for the body to function in optimal conditions.
Finally, it is important to avoid the use and consumption of hydrogenated oils and saturated fats that are known to affect liver health.
