People are proving that moderate alcohol consumption is incredibly healthy.But what does “moderate” mean?How do you know that alcohol is bad for your health?In fact, even scientists admit that alcohol is beneficial in certain (small) doses;Take the example of red wine, which contains antioxidants, vitamins and microelements.Harm occurs when alcohol damages a person's internal organs, and this certainly happens if one drinks more than 170g of alcohol more often than once every 8 days.
So is it possible to drink in moderation?What risks does a person who drinks alcohol face?When does moderate alcohol consumption end and alcohol abuse begin?
EVERYTHING IMPORTANT ABOUT WHAT IT IS TO DRINK IN MODERATION
“The most important thing is to drink in moderation,” often thinks a person who is already one step away from terrible and destructive alcoholism.
The dose, after taking which poses a serious threat to the human liver, is 90 g of pure ethanol per day.For a moment, that's 285 ml of vodka (a little more than a glass of vodka).Damage to the human brain occurs at a much lower dosage - 19 g of ethanol (or 60 ml of vodka) in 24 hours.And this applies to absolutely healthy people with a normal and functioning liver, a healthy brain, kidneys and other organs.
Now imagine what awaits a person if he drinks a glass of vodka every day:
- An addiction to alcohol begins to develop, which is very difficult to get rid of;
- in six months he will suffer from such alcohol addiction in the presence of a hereditary predisposition to this disease;
- This problem will manifest itself within 36 months (3 years) if there is no hereditary predisposition.
- After a few months there is a strong desire to increase the dose regularly.
If we assume that a person has suffered from a serious illness (for example, viral hepatitis), then the moderate dose for him will be two or even three times lower.
It should be clear: moderate drinker - how much can you drink without harming your body?How much can you drink so that all body systems are restored?
All calculations are based on the fact that a healthy person processes alcohol in the amount of 170 g per day.This leads to interesting results and conclusions:
- If a person consumes 170 g of pure alcohol in one day, he must refrain from consuming any (even the weakest) alcoholic drinks for the next 8 days.
- The permissible (acceptable) dose per month is 586 grams.
- In other words: you can drink a little more than one and a half classic bottles of vodka per month.
If it turns out that you need to drink more than 170 grams on a holiday, you need to increase the period between drinking alcohol and the next time you drink alcohol, for example, not after 8 days, but after 10-12.This significantly reduces the damage and negative consequences of alcohol.
What conclusion should you come to in such a situation: drink significantly less often or drink in moderation?Experts are more inclined towards the first option.Less often means once a month and not more often.Although some argue that if the dosage is correct, it doesn't matter how often a person drinks.
WINE: IS IT HEALTHY OR NOT?
Moderate drinkers, at least those who call themselves that, insist this: Drinking dry red wine is extremely healthy.Their reasoning is based on the fact that wine contains a powerful antioxidant and prevents cancer.
On the contrary, scientific research shows that consuming wine in large quantities is harmful.It contains certain substances, an excess of which involuntarily leads to complications, so such a drink is harmful.
You need to know some well-founded facts about the benefits of wine:
- The drink contains the antioxidant resveratrol, which is also found in grape juice, but in significantly smaller quantities.
- It contains valuable microelements that improve human health.
- An acceptable dose for a healthy person is about 3 glasses of wine every 7 days (450 ml drink).
It should also be noted that the discussion about the effectiveness of red wine in treating atherosclerosis turned out to be mere rumors, as modern research proves the opposite.
It turns out that drinking wine makes sense, but only if you adhere to the established standards and do not exceed the safe dosage of the drink consumed.
Is it allowed to drink beer in moderate quantities?
Another drink besides wine that many claim is healthy is beer.Yes, unpasteurized or live beer can be beneficial for the body, but there are also certain restrictions after which the drink becomes harmful to humans.600 ml per day is a completely acceptable norm, however, this norm is also subject to reservations, since drinking even a small amount of beer for years leads to the development of the third stage of alcohol addiction.
Beer in moderation has beneficial effects:
- Cosmetic effect on skin condition.
- Normalizes blood pressure.
- Calms the human nervous system.
- Maintains necessary cholesterol levels.
It is important to remember that beer addiction progresses secretly and gradually, making it difficult to notice in the early stages.Subsequently, this disease is more difficult to treat than, for example, addiction caused by the abuse of vodka or other alcoholic beverages.Therefore, proving that beer is a safe alcoholic drink is fundamentally wrong.
STIMULANT EFFECT OF MODERATE DOSES OF ALCOHOL
As with all other alcohols, benefits can be achieved even with moderate consumption, taking into account the so-called paradoxical stimulation effect.
What does this principle mean?This is the stimulating effect of small doses of exposure to substances that have a toxic effect in higher doses.In simple words: if alcohol in large doses harms the body, in small quantities it can have a stimulating effect.
This effect is achieved not in moderately drinking groups of people, but in those who consume only insignificant (about 50 ml of vodka 2 times every 7 days) doses of alcohol and not a gram more.
Which is better: drinking in moderation or not drinking alcohol at all?
And what do you want to do now, knowing all these numbers that talk about either the benefits or harms of alcohol?Should you stop drinking forever or should you just drink in moderation for the sake of your health?
Previous studies showing the benefits of moderate drinking turned out to be wrong.Scientists from leading countries of the world are talking about this today.
These experiments showed the following result: moderate and moderate drinkers were much healthier than absolute non-drinkers.But what's the catch?The fact is that everyone was recruited into the category of teetotalers: people with already poor health, those who drank a lot in their youth, those who could not drink alcohol for medical reasons.
Therefore the result was unreliable.Scientists conducted a number of additional studies to correct their mistake, and it turned out that non-drinkers are healthier than those who drink in moderation, and the former live much longer than the latter.
Does alcohol have benefits and should you drink it in moderation?
A 1999 study by a doctor and scientist showed that moderate alcohol consumption has benefits for a person's cardiovascular system.In the same year, a similar study was conducted that demonstrated the benefits of alcohol on the human brain.
The results of the experiments were as follows:
- Patients who learned to drink in moderate doses were less likely to have a myocardial infarction.They drank 14 to 56 g of pure alcohol daily (less than 1 glass of vodka).Additionally, people who took moderate doses were less likely to develop a mental disorder.
- Those who made the bold decision not to drink at all had a slightly increased risk of heart attack and a slightly higher risk of developing dementia.
- The most noticeable health problems were those who frequently drank large amounts of alcohol.In such situations, heart attacks occurred and brain diseases were more common.
After such research results, several pressing questions immediately arise in my head: Is it allowed to drink alcohol in moderation?So does this mean that drinking a little alcohol is still better than becoming a teetotaler?
But here it is important to mention another experiment conducted by scientists in 2008, which showed a completely different effect: patients who drank alcohol moderately were more likely to have serious brain diseases than those who completely abstained from alcohol.
CONCLUSIONS: IS IT POSSIBLE TO DRINK AS A REACTION?
As you can see, the experiments showed completely different results, which is nothing unusual, since the health and lifespan of a person on Earth are influenced by many factors other than alcohol consumption: daily diet, lifestyle, working conditions, climate.For this reason, a single study cannot provide 100% objective information.
Only one thing can be said for sure: consuming alcohol in small quantities has benefits, but this benefit is not particularly noticeable given the danger that awaits you when drinking alcohol.In addition, the harm from alcohol is immediately noticeable and can be easily detected by scientists and doctors when examining a person.
How do you drink in moderation and is it even worth it?If you really care about your own health, it is better to avoid alcohol altogether.Consume only what brings real benefit and contains no harm so that you no longer have doubts.