It is one of the biggest myths established in society, but it not only affects the liver, but can cause many types of cancer. The only completely safe consumption of alcohol is zero
Putting an open onion on the nightstand to soothe a cough or quickly drinking the orange juice because ‘vitamins are gone’ are myths that have permeated our society but, deep down, beyond leaving your house smelling a burger or choking a little because of rushing to drink, they have no more impact on health. However, the myth that drinking a glass of wine a day is healthy It is another matter entirely. Not only is it one of the most widespread myths, but it is also not harmless. Daily alcohol consumption can have harmful health effects, especially for our poor livera ‘very worked’ organ that we rarely pay attention to.
How much alcohol is safe to drink per day?
Although it is an uncomfortable truth and, paradoxically, with a subversive touch, the only completely safe alcohol consumption is zero. Without fully knowing the genetics of each person and their state of health, this is the only possible answer from a scientific point of view when establishing general recommendations for the population. No coffee for everyone, no alcohol for everyone.
Does alcohol affect us all equally?
In the same way that not all people metabolize some foods or some medications in the same way, alcohol does not affect all of us equally. According to Dr. Bataller -one of the world’s leading specialists in the impact of alcohol consumption on liver pathologies-, it is important to consider that alcohol consumption is related to two factors. On the one hand, one must assess if the patient has more risk factorsFor example, the risk increases if the subject has obesity and metabolic syndrome. On the other hand, genetics matter. There are patients with a genetic predisposition to develop alcoholic liver disease or alcohol-induced organ damage. This explains why if two people drink the same thing, one may have a lot of problems and the other may not. Dr. Bataller turns around the classic argument that there is a ‘safe’ amount for all people, since his proposal is rather the reverse: “We will not be wrong when saying that if one drinks three beers or two stronger drinks a day is at risk of developing alcohol-related health problems.
What we want to believe… and what science says
The Congress of the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH) has recently been held and one of the major issues that has been addressed in it has been the distance that exists between the scientific evidence available in relation to the impact on health of the alcohol consumption and the perception of this impact by the population, which is generally very light. Drinking is a socially accepted habit and when someone warns about the effects of alcohol, they are usually labeled as an alarmist or killjoy.. However, the data indicates that the liver pathology that causes the most mortality in Spain is the one related to its intake. The question now is… do we drink so much in our country? The answer is yes. According to data from the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, 93% of Spaniards have consumed alcohol at some time in their life77.2% during the last year, 63% during the last month and more than 8.8% consume it daily.
Youth consumption: the elephant in the room
According to recent data from the Community of Madrid, 50% of children between 14 and 18 years old had consumed alcohol in the last thirty days. 50%! This is very alarming information that unfortunately reflects that homework is not being done properly with respect to the application of the Law that prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors. The special vulnerability of women to the effects of alcohol is also important, since women have a higher propensity to develop cirrhosis and hepatitis, greater stigma and less access to liver transplantation.
And if the consumption is only ‘weekend’?
It is important to consider that the hypothetical recommended daily limits are not ‘cumulative offers’ that we can spend on weekends. If we abstain from Monday to Thursday but the weekend we crossed the line, it is also considered excessive consumption. The damage is caused by both the drinks accumulated over time and the so-called ‘binge’ and the amount of alcohol present in the body on each occasion.
Why is alcohol so harmful?
When drinking alcohol, the body metabolizes it into acetaldehyde, which is a toxic substance for cells. Is about a substance capable of damaging DNA which in turn prevents the body from being able to repair the damage. If this happens, a cell can grow out of control and create a tumor. In addition, alcohol is also capable of creating other DNA damage, oxidative damage to the cells lining blood vessels, which leads to stiff arteries, elevated blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
What types of cancer is alcohol related to?
Alcohol is a direct cause of many types of cancer: head and neck (oral cavity, pharynx and larynx), esophagus, liver, breast and colorectal. For some cancers, such as liver and colorectal cancers, the risk only begins with excessive drinking. But in the case of breast and esophageal cancer, the risk increases slightly with any alcohol consumption.
Any good news?
The good news is that when you stop drinking or cut back, you also reduce your risks. It is always a good time to start drinking less… and live more and better.
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