Alcoholic beverages are far from the last among food products. Friends, important happy and sad dates, even just to increase appetite - it's all okay with alcohol use. However, intoxicating drinks differ in strength content, which does not bring a positive effect to a person. Therefore, you need to know which alcohol is the least harmful for the body.
Classification of alcohol-related risks
Any food containing at least 1. 5% ethyl alcohol is alcoholic. Ethanol drinks are systematized by the rate of C₂H₅OH, the type of raw materials used, the type of production and the aging criterion.
Alcohol:
- low content - beer, wine;
- high - vodka, sugarcane rum, gin, grain whiskey, grape brandy and more.
All drinks are made from different types of raw materials.
The first can be divided into the following categories:
- made from grapes - cognac, wine, Italian grappa;
- cereals - whiskey, groups of beer, vodka;
- fruits and berries - apple calvados, liqueur, liqueur;
- herbal - balm, rum, Mexican tequila, wormwood.
Each alcoholic drink has its own ethanol content.
The presence of the latter can be split like this:
- high - from 67 to 96% of the volume of the container;
- normal - from 31 to 66;
- medium - from 9 to 30;
- weak - from 1, 5 to 9.
The last line includes everyone's favorite beer, domestic low-alcohol products, kvass, palm toddy, shandy.
Medium ethanol drinks are represented by wines, mulled wine, punch, mead.
The first stage is occupied by vodka, armagnac, tequila, rum, absinthe and other intoxicating liquids. Drinking ethyl alcohol is the leader. The alcohol volume reaches 95%.
It is believed that the main damage to health is caused by the degree of the drink, however, using products with weak alcohol, you can cause harm no less than the strong ones.
Characteristics of less harmful alcohol
Judgments about intoxicating liquids vary widely. Some nutritionists argue that drinking beverages is healthy, while others are unhealthy.
The criteria for the least harmful alcohol include the following factors:
- The degree of its quality.
- The amount of ethanol.
- Addition of aromas.
- Performance.
According to medical experts, vodka is considered less harmful to health. Of course, this condition is met with minimal use.
This conclusion is conditioned by the following factors:
- low in calories;
- absence of a harmful carbonyl group;
- by the simplicity of an alcoholic liquid - water with alcohol.
Quality products consumed hardly ever cause hangover syndrome. But that doesn't mean you can drink vodka without measure. To avoid poisoning, fatty foods should be a snack.
However, experts characterize genuine grape wines as the least safe alcohol for the liver. The fruit of the bush has no harmful residue. If you do not separate the skin from the berries, you get a red wine, recognized as the most beneficial for health.
This is due to the fact that the vitamins from the shell pass through a liquid alcoholic medium, saturate the body with microelements, organic nitrogen compounds.
Antioxidants improve the functioning of the circulatory system and rejuvenate cells. Wine is used successfully to isolate the extract, which is used for making injections and various cosmetic products.
The effect of alcohol on the body
Alcohol is considered one of the most powerful and harmful poisons and is considered a drug. In addition to addiction, a heady drink negatively affects the work of external and internal human organs. By gradually killing cells, alcohol contributes to the development of many chronic pathologies.
Table of negative effects of alcohol on major human organs:
Internal organs and systems | Effect of alcoholic beverages |
---|---|
GIT | • destruction of the small intestine; • Doctors often repair a burned larynx; • development of duodenal ulcers; • chronic gastritis; • the work of the digestive tract is disturbed; • Foods settle as toxins and begin to break down. |
Liver | The cells of this organ are the most sensitive to the influence of alcohol, as it is involved in processing and degradation at the molecular level. However, this is not the main function of the liver. After a short time, its wear occurs, its size decreases. Ultimately, the body will not be able to eliminate toxins. Diseases of this organ lead to brain pathologies and death. |
Ships and hearts | • an increase in the size of the heart muscle; • scars; • heart attack; • death. |
Nervous system | Alcohol quickly dissolves fat, which is 60% in nerve cells. As a result, the molecules of C₂H₅OH are actively absorbed, deposited, which leads to excitation of the central nervous system and the body relaxes. As a result, poisoning occurs. Over time, alcohol builds up and slows down nerve endings. |
Reproductive function | The effect of alcohol on the male body: • decrease in sperm motility; • sexual impotence; • infertility. Risks associated with alcohol consumption in women: • failure of the menstrual cycle; • narrowing of the fallopian tubes; • reduction of the uterus; • the egg does not have time to ripen; • infertility. |
Brain activity | Even a supposedly authorized dose of alcohol (50 grams per day) removes several 1000 neurons from the brain. This impact cannot be reversed. Ethanol causes erythrocytes to stick together, as a result of which capillary blockage develops. In addition, cells die and oxygen deprivation occurs. |
Respiratory system | Alcohol consumption is associated with the following lung diseases: • arrhythmia; • chronic diseases; • hypertension; • tuberculosis; • inflammation. |
Kidneys | The kidneys are the most harmful when drinking alcohol, because under the influence of alcohol they are forced to work several times harder, flushing out toxins. |
Immune system | Damage to immunity from alcohol lies in the deficiency of essential vitamins, macro and microelements. In addition, dehydration, the increased work of other organs and systems does not allow the protective forces to restore human health. |
Liver and alcohol
The liver is the most sensitive to alcoholic beverages. It treats 90% of fluids used by humans, including harmful fluids. The cells of the organ die quickly, are replaced by fat, the ducts contract, and the body itself is significantly reduced in size.
The condition leads to the formation of an incurable disease - alcoholic cirrhosis. The internal organ does not perform an antitoxic function, which leads to the slow death of a person. Any drink that contains alcohol is harmful, because it contains additional harmful components.
The table below summarizes some of them:
Beer | The most harmful alcoholic drink. There is a diuretic effect that increases the content of poison in the blood. |
Cocktails and energy |
These foods contain many food additives, colors which have a negative effect on the liver. |
Sparkling wine |
Carbon dioxide increases the absorption of alcohol in the digestive tract, exceeding the permitted norm. |
Sweet liqueur drinks |
Contains a lot of sucrose, which increases the load on the liver. |
Taking into account the application, it can be said that the absent alcoholic drinks do not have a marked effect on the liver, regardless of their strength or production characteristics.
The effect of alcohol on the stomach
Alcohol is a chemical substance which is almost completely absorbed by the body, but which increases the production of active and harmful oxygen groups. The element oxidizes cell tissues, organs of the digestive tract.
Even a small amount of alcohol consumed causes the stomach to produce high levels of acid, which then turns into gastritis, causing vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding. This condition can lead to cancers of the mouth, nasopharynx, tongue, and pancreas.
The least harmful result of alcohol is reflux, which burns the mucous membrane of the larynx produced by acid. The appearance of an ulcer - a painful open sore on the inner walls of the stomach, is another fact of excessive consumption of an intoxicated drink.
The condition makes it difficult to digest food, disrupts the metabolic process. Alcohol reduces the number of digestive enzymes that the pancreas produces for the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates.
Alcohol and the brain
The depicted central part of the nervous system is the most efficient oxygen consumer. Excessive alcohol consumption interferes with the access of O2to the nerve cells of the gray matter due to poisoning.
The result is dementia, leading to massive neuronal death. Heavy consumption of the intoxicated drink affects cells in the cerebral cortex, resulting in brain depletion.
The effect of alcohol on the pancreas
This organ does not contain enzymes that break down alcohol, so harmful drinks directly affect the pancreas. Here, protein plugs are formed, which retain calcium, which is expressed in the formation of stones and leads to pancreatitis.
Molecules in the alcoholic environment contribute to damage to glandular cells. Previous chronic alcoholic disease, an increasing number of proteins in food juices. The latter obstruct the small excretory ducts of the organ, promoting the proliferation of connective tissue with scarring - fibrosis.
Kidney and alcohol
A person who drinks has a disturbed kidney excretion process, which regulates their activity. The adrenal gland system is constantly broken down, the protective tissue of the hollow organ that lines its inner shell is disturbed.
Dysbacteriosis due to alcohol consumption
The presence of the described pathology completely prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages. The latter and carbonated, lead to inflammatory processes on the intestinal surface. It is also not recommended to use alcoholic beverages in the treatment of dysbiosis, which is due to the lack of results of treatment.
Alcohol speeds up the passage of biological barriers, which explains the passage of toxins from the intestine, digested proteins, which are real allergens.
Additional properties of less harmful alcoholic beverages
Various food additives present in the intoxicating drink worsen the effect of alcohol. To make alcohol less harmful to the liver and other internal organs, they should be consumed with natural ingredients, not synthetic.
Sugar
The sweet substance is found in many alcoholic products - liqueurs, sparkling wines, intoxicating cocktails. The products are characterized by a high calorie content, which increases the load on the human body.
Harmful viscous alcohol is not recommended for people who have:
- overweight;
- removed the gallbladder;
- pathology of the pancreas.
People who have liver disease, hepatitis should not drink this way.
Increased pressure
The effects of wine drinks are not yet fully understood. It contains organic substances, amino acids, various tannins. Red wine increases the nitrogen content, causing vasodilation and increased blood flow. Therefore, after its use, the pressure decreases.
However, the alcoholic effect lasts quickly, the heart muscle begins to increase contractions, ejecting new portions of blood, causing the pressure to increase.
Rules of use
A person has the right to calculate the highest daily dose of alcohol that will not have a significant negative effect on the body. The formula looks like this:
20: 0, 966: per degree of drink × 100.
Based on the calculations, you can indicate the authorized volume of alcohol consumed in ml:
- vodka - 51;
- fortified wine - 103;
- sec, normal - 172;
- beer - 415.
If a person does not want to calm their addictions, they can drink 20 grams per day. pure alcohol, with no pronounced effect on the liver. However, it is recommended to adhere to the following rule: you cannot drink alcohol more than twice a week.
The only exception concerns real dry red wines. A man can drink 50 g of the drink per day, a woman - 30.
Alcohol assessment
The harmful effects of alcohol have been known to mankind for hundreds of years. Once in the body, ethanol breaks it down. The strength of the intoxication depends on both the quantity of the addict and his type. Here are the most harmful alcoholic drinks in the ranking.
Vodka
The familiar male drink is at the last stage. There are no colors, flavors or other harmful additives here. Vodka can be called the best diet alcoholic product. But that doesn't mean drinking without measure or mixing with cocktails.
However, vodka has its drawbacks:
- frequent poisoning;
- increased usage; Trading companies
- often sell a substitute, a fake.
Hangover is ranked three out of 10.
Wine
The described drink can be attributed to a drug.
Benefits of red wine include:
- prevents the formation of blood clots, all kinds of inflammation;
- reduces the concentration of harmful cholesterol;
- resveratrol- natural phytoalexin, antioxidant resists the aging of the body.
The downside is the presence of harmful methanol. Excessive use leads to a severe hangover.
White wine is less healthy, but it lowers the concentration of cholesterol due to chemical compounds. The liquid medium of the grape is saturated with harmful sulfites, which are added by the manufacturer of the product, causing severe toxic symptoms that occur after 3 glasses of alcohol. Causes allergic reactions, asthma, migraines, dental disease.
Alcoholic signs of intoxication are noted 6 points.
Liqueur
These products are medium and resistant. The strong presence of sugar leads to the fact that it is used in the preparation of cocktails.
Usually refers to the following types:
- Fortified - up to 45% alcohol, 50% sugar.
- Dessert - 30-30%, respectively.
- Creams - 15-23-60%.
The advantages of this type of hops are sweetness, the content of useful ingredients of herbs, plant roots, flowers.
The disadvantage is the high level of sugar, the high calorie content, sometimes causing allergies, unpleasant feeling in the stomach.
Cognac
The intoxicated drink contains a minimum amount of harmful food additives, has a vasodilator effect and leads to the death of some pathogenic microbes. Daily intake should not exceed 50 ml, women - 30.
Advantages:
- elimination of gastric spasms;
- no additives;
- appetite stimulation;
- normalization of blood pressure;
- headache humility.
The disadvantages are inherent in a large number of restrictions - hypertension, addiction, diabetes, high calorie content. Increased use leads to acute vascular insufficiency.
Alcoholism syndrome - 8 units.
Beer
Alcohol is made from barley using additives (hops, yeast).
Positive indicator - low content of harmful ethanol 3-8 °, as well as the following factors:
- prevents the development of coronary heart disease;
- silicon restores bones;
- removes aluminum salts, other metals, carcinogens;
- helps hair growth;
- low in calories;
- thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic, nicotinic acid.
A mug of alcoholic beer contains a quarter of the daily value of B vitamins.
Negative factors:
- increased uric acid leads to the development of gout;
- inhibits digestion through easy absorption; Cobalt
- causes inflammation of the esophagus, stomach.
Frequent consumption of this type of alcoholic drink causes obesity and heart disease.
Sparkling wines
Champagneis classified next. The antioxidants present restore nerve fibers, the chemical composition has a bactericidal effect, promotes blood circulation, reduces harmful cholesterol and dilates blood vessels.
However, there is rapid intoxication, due to the presence of carbon dioxide bubbles, contributes to the appearance of liver pathologies, slows down digestion.
Alcoholic Hangover - 7.
Whiskey
There is medical opinion that the product slows the development of malignant tumors. However, excessive use leads to mental disorders, rage, delirium tremens.
All symptoms related to alcohol - 8 units.
Brandy
The list goes on with brandy. The intoxicating environment of the drink contains a large number of antioxidants that slow down aging, ascorbic acid. Due to numerous impurities, the most severe alcohol poisoning is observed - 9.
Alcoholic cocktails
The presence of alcohol, gas, sugar creates a mixture dangerous for health. The latter causes rapid intoxication, saturates the blood, which leads to dynamic absorption of glucose.
Energy
The most harmful alcohol is energy drinks containing C₂H₅OH. Strong alcoholic liquid with them causes tangible damage to internal organs. Aggression, suicidal tendencies increase, loss of consciousness is observed.
The choice of alcoholic drinks is recommended those whose alcohol content is less harmful to health. These are natural red and white wines.