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Alcohol and
Health
The liver breaks down alcohol in the body and is therefore the chief
site of alcohol damage. Liver damage may occur in three irreversible stages.
- Fatty Liver. Liver cells
are infiltrated with abnormal fatty tissue, enlarging the liver.
- Alcoholic Hepatitis.
Liver cells swell, become inflamed, and die, causing blockage. (Causes between
10 and 30 percent mortality rate.)
- Cirrhosis. Fibrous scar
tissue forms in place of healthy cells, obstructing the flow of blood through
the liver. Various functions of the liver deteriorate with often fatal results.
(Found in 10 percent of alcoholics.)
A diseased liver: Cannot convert stored glycogen into glucose, thus
lowering blood sugar and producing hypoglycemia. It inefficiently detoxifies
the bloodstream and inadequately eliminates drugs, alcohol, and dead red
bloodcells. Cannot manufacture bile (for fat digestion), prothrombin (for blood
clotting and bruise prevention), and albumin (for maintaining healthy cells).
Alcohol in the liver also alters the production of digestive enzymes,
preventing the absorption of fats and proteins and decreasing the absorption of
the vitamins A, D, E, and K. The decreased production of enzymes also causes
diarrhea.
Alcohol profoundly disturbs the structure and function of the central
nervous system, disrupting the ability to retrieve and consolidate information.
Even moderate alcohol consumption affects cognitive abilities, while larger
amounts interfere with the oxygen supply to the brain, a possible cause of
"blackout" during drunkenness. Alcohol abuse destroys brain cells, producing
brain deterioration and atrophy, and whether the organic brain damage and
neuropsychological impairment linked to alcohol can be reversed is unknown.
Alcohol also alters the brain's production of RNA (a genetic "messenger"), and
serotonin, endorphins, and natural opiates whose function may be linked to the
addictive process.
A neurological disorder sometimes referred to as
"Wernicke-Korsakoff's Syndrome" can result from vitamin B deficiencies produced
by alcoholism and the direct action of alcohol on the brain. Symptoms of this
condition include amnesia, loss of short-term memory, disorientation,
hallucinations, emotional disturbances, double vision, and loss of muscle
control. Other effects include mental disorders such as increased aggression,
antisocial behavior, depression, and anxiety.
Large amounts of alcohol may inflame the mouth, esophagus, and
stomach, possibly causing cancer in these locations, especially in drinkers who
smoke. Alcohol increases the stomach's digestive enzymes, which can irritate
the stomach wall, producing heartburn, nausea, gastritis, and ulcers. The
stomach of a chronic drinker loses the ability to adequately move food and
expel it into the duodenum, leaving some food always in the stomach, causing
sluggish digestion and vomiting. Alcohol may also inflame the small and large
intestines.
Moderate daily drinking reportedly may be good for the heart, but
clearly for many the risks outweigh the benefits. Even one binge may produce
irregular heartbeats, and alcohol abusers experience increased risk of high
blood pressure, heart attacks, heart arrhythmia, and heart disease. Alcohol may
cause cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle). Cessation of drinking
aids recovery from this condition.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a cluster of irreversible birth
abnormalities that are the direct result of heavy drinking during pregnancy.
Alcohol, like most other drugs, passes easily through the mother's
placenta and into the fetal bloodstream. In the fetus, the alcohol depresses
the central nervous system and must be metabolized by the immature liver of the
fetus, which cannot effectively process this toxic substance. The alcohol stays
in the fetus's body for a prolonged time (even after leaving the mother's body)
and the unborn child remains intoxicated, possibly suffering withdrawal
symptoms after the alcohol is no longer present.
Children born with fetal alcohol syndrome typically are smaller in
size, have smaller heads, and suffer deformities of limbs, joints, fingers, and
face, as well as heart defects. They may also have cleft palate and poor
coordination.
In some children, FAS does not appear until adolescence, when they
exhibit hyperactivity and learning and perceptual difficulties. These
impairments are symptomatic of minimal brain dysfunction (MBD), which affects
between 5 and 19 percent of schoolchildren, according to a study by the
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Studies of children with
FAS who are now teenagers have uncovered new physical problems—ear
infections, hearing and vision loss, and dental problems— that were not
identified when the children were first studied at a younger age.
Only a small percentage of the children born to women who use alcohol
suffer FAS. The reasons for this are unknown. Maternal risk factors for this
condition include:
- Chronic drinking during
pregnancy
- Previous problems with
drinking
- Previous children
Some studies have shown that female light-to-moderate drinkers
(so-called social drinkers) give birth to babies with subtle alcohol-related
neurological and behavioral "problems". Although these "problems" are less
severe than those in children of heavy drinkers, these findings indicate that
lesser amounts of alcohol can also cause developmental and behavioral
abnormalities.
Pregnant women should abstain from all alcoholic beverages. Women
attempting to conceive should also abstain.
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