What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Alcohol
Did you know that drinking alcohol every day can have negative effects on your body? Find out what happens to your body when you drink alcohol and how to avoid it.
According to the data of researchers from the Nielsen firm, alcohol sales increased by more than 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the closure of bars and restaurants. Now that things are reopening, you may be wondering how those daily drinks at home affected you.
If you were drinking (or still drinking) alcoholic drinks on a daily basis, the effects are longer and more dangerous than you may think.
Here are what experts from top hospitals say about, what’s really happening to your body when you consume alcohol every day.
1. Your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is high
According to the American Heart Association, you may not be aware of the increase in body fat from daily drinking, but now be aware that, it can build up in the arteries around your heart.
The fat that causes this is known as a triglyceride, and the combination of high LDL (bad) cholesterol or low HDL (good) cholesterol with high levels increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
2. Your liver is continuously operating in overdrive mode
When you consume alcohol daily, your liver filters out harmful accumulations in your body. All that works has a fee, and according to Healthline, up to 15% of heavy drinkers develop the alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD).
Many people in ARLD are initially unaware that fat begins to grow near the liver. Such symptoms include nausea, malaise, and swelling of the legs and abdomen.
3. Your body losses the ability to fight infections properly
Drinking alcohol on a daily basis can make you more susceptible to illness. According to the Cleveland Clinic, alcohol reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and makes it more susceptible to infections.
And yes, this also means that your chances of catching a virus are very high.
4. Messing with gut bacteria and causing digestive problems
We all have bacteria in our stomach that helps us during our digestive process and that’s typically normal for every human being. However, after a sip of an alcoholic drink, that particular area of the body gets immediately affected and the healthy microbial flora is reduced consequently.
The digestive system and the intestine are where the body fight infections. As such, consuming alcoholic drinks on a daily basis can cause permanent damage to the inner walls of the stomach and digestive system, leading to what is called a “Leakage” as per researchers’ terms.
5. Losing the ability to sleep properly
In addition to the harm caused to your gut bacteria, consistent daily drinking will increase your heart rate. This makes it difficult to completely relax and or may wake up frequently at night. In fact, according to Harvard Health, alcohol may be involved in 10% of cases of persistent insomnia. According to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol makes it difficult to slow down the rest of the body, but it relaxes the muscles of the throat, however, it partially blocks the airways and causes breathing and sleep problems such as sleep apnea and snoring.
6. Gain in Weight
Beer and burgers, wine and cheese, mimosa, and brunch. There are so many ideal combinations of alcohol and food. Our creativity in this category will always exceed our imaginations.
However, overdrinking can lead to an increase in suppression and excessive caloric intake according to MS RD Coralabarera Edelson D “The body first uses alcohol as an energy source, and this results in causing the body to store other nutrients such as (fats, carbohydrates), to be store as fat as a whole”.
On the other hand, this also means that alcoholic drinks can reduce the fat burning in our bodies. However, moderation is the key!
7. Negative Workout Results
If you're working on building muscle while drinking alcohol every day, you won't see the results of all your hard work.
"Alcohol consumption affects the speed at which muscles repair themselves (during exercise, the muscles tear before repairing themselves, leading to growth)," says MS RD Coral Dabarera Edelson "This is especially important after exercising and after resting between training sessions where more protein is being synthesized."
What's Your Reaction?
