Alcoholic beverages are certainly not the last of the food products. Friends, meaningful, joyful and sad dates, if only to increase appetite - it all goes with alcohol use. However, intoxicating drinks differ in strength content, which does not bring a positive effect to a person. Therefore, it is necessary to know which alcohol is least harmful to the body.
Alcohol risk classification
Any food containing at least 1. 5% ethyl alcohol is alcoholic. Ethanol-based drinks are systematized according to the C₂H₅OH level, the type of raw materials used, the type of production and the aging criterion.
Alcohol:
- low content - beer, wine;
- high - vodka, sugar cane rum, gin, grain whiskey, grape brandy and more.
All drinks are made with different types of raw materials.
The first can be divided into the following categories:
- based on grapes - cognac, wine, Italian grappa;
- grains - whiskey, beer groups, vodka;
- fruit and berries - apple calvados, liqueur, liqueur;
- herbal - balm, rum, Mexican tequila, absinthe.
Each alcoholic drink has its own ethanol content.
The presence of the latter can be divided as follows:
- high - 67 to 96% of the container volume;
- normal - from 31 to 66;
- average - from 9 to 30;
- low - from 1, 5 to 9.
The last line includes everyone's favorite beer, weak alcoholic domestic products, kvass, palm toddy, shandy.
Medium ethanol based drinks are represented by wines, mulled wine, punch, mead.
The top step 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 harm to health is caused by the degree of the drink, however, using weak products containing alcohol, it is possible to cause harm no less than strong ones.
Characteristics of less harmful alcohol
The opinions on intoxicating liquids vary considerably. Some nutritionists claim that drinking beverages is healthy, while others are harmful to health.
The criteria for the least harmful alcohol include the following factors:
- The degree of its quality.
- The amount of ethanol.
- Flavor additions.
- 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 calorie;
- absence of a harmful carbonyl group;
- from the simplicity of an alcoholic liquid - water with alcohol.
The quality product eaten almost never causes a hangover syndrome. But that doesn't mean you can drink vodka without measure. To prevent poisoning, fatty foods should be a snack.
However, experts call authentic grape wines less safe alcohol than liver. The fruit of the bush has no harmful residues. If you do not separate the peel from the berries, you get a red wine, recognized as the most beneficial for health.
This is due to the fact that the vitamins in the shell pass into a liquid alcohol medium, saturate the body with microelements, organic nitrogenous compounds.
Antioxidants improve the functioning of the circulatory system and rejuvenate cells. Wine is successfully used to isolate the extract from it, which is used for the manufacture of injections and various cosmetics.
The effect of alcohol on the body
Alcohol is considered one of the most powerful and harmful poisons and is equated to a drug. In addition to addiction, an intoxicating drink negatively affects the work of a person's external and internal organs. By gradually killing cells, alcohol contributes to the development of many chronic diseases.
Table of the negative effects of alcohol on the main human organs:
| Internal organs and systems | Effect of alcoholic beverages |
|---|---|
| GIT | • destruction of the small intestine; • doctors often repair a burn of the larynx; • development of duodenal ulcers; • chronic gastritis; • the work of the digestive tract is disrupted; • food is deposited in the form of toxins and begins to decompose. |
| Liver | The cells of this organ are more susceptible to the influence of alcohol, because it is involved in processing and breaking down at the molecular level. However, this is not the main function of the liver. After a short time, its wear occurs, its size decreases. Eventually, the body will not be able to eliminate toxins. Diseases of this organ lead to brain disease and death. |
| Ships and heart | • 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. Thus, the molecules of C₂H₅OH are actively absorbed, deposited, which leads to excitation of the central nervous system and the body relaxes. As a result, intoxication occurs. Over time, alcohol builds up and slows down the nerve endings. |
| Reproductive function | The effect of alcohol on the male body: • decrease in the motility of spermatozoa; • sexual impotence; • infertility. Risks of alcohol use in women: • menstrual failure; • narrowing of the fallopian tubes; • reduction of the uterus; • the egg does not have time to mature; • infertility. |
| Brain activity | Even a presumed allowable dose of alcohol (50 grams per day) kills several 1000 neurons in the brain. This impact cannot be reversed. Ethanol causes sticking of erythrocytes, as a result of which capillary blockage develops. Furthermore, the cells die and oxygen starvation occurs. |
| Respiratory system | Alcohol consumption is associated with the following lung diseases: • arrhythmia; • chronic diseases; • hypertension; • tuberculosis; • inflammation. |
| Reni | The kidneys suffer the most damage when they drink alcohol, because under the influence of alcohol they are forced to work many times more intensely, removing toxins. |
| Immune system | The damage to immunity from alcohol lies in the deficiency of essential vitamins, macro and microelements. In addition, dehydration, increased work of other organs and systems do not allow protective forces to restore human health. |
Liver and alcohol
The most susceptible to alcoholic beverages is the liver. It processes 90% of the fluids used by humans, including harmful ones. The cells of the organ quickly die, are replaced by fat, the ducts contract, and the body itself is greatly 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 alcohol-containing drink is harmful, as it includes additional harmful components.
The following table summarizes some of them:
| Beer | The most harmful alcoholic drink. There is a diuretic effect that increases the poison content in the blood. |
| Cocktail and energy |
These foods include many food additives, dyes that can damage the liver. |
| Sparkling wine |
Carbon dioxide increases the absorption of alcohol in the digestive tract, exceeding the permissible norm. |
| Sweet liqueur drinks |
Contains a lot of sucrose, which increases the load on the liver. |
Considering the application, we can say that the absence of alcoholic beverages does not have a strong effect on the liver, regardless of their strength or production characteristics.
The effect of alcohol on the stomach
Alcohol is a chemical substance that is almost completely absorbed by the body, but intensifies the production of harmful oxygen groups. The element oxidizes cellular tissue, the organs of the digestive tract.
Even a small amount of alcohol consumed causes the stomach to produce high levels of acid, which subsequently turns into gastritis, causing vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding. A similar condition can lead to cancers of the oral cavity, nasopharynx, tongue and pancreas.
The least harmful result of drinking is reflux, which burns the mucous membrane of the larynx produced by acid. The appearance of an ulcer - a painful open wound on the inner walls of the stomach, is another fact of the excessive consumption of a intoxicated drink.
The condition makes it difficult to digest food, disrupts the metabolic process. Alcohol reduces the number of digestive enzymes the pancreas produces for the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates.
Alcohol and the brain
The central part of the nervous system described 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, resulting in massive neuronal death. Intense consumption of the intoxicated drink affects the cells of the cerebral cortex, resulting in brain exhaustion.
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 by the formation of stones and leads to pancreatitis.
The molecules of the alcoholic environment contribute to the damage to the cells of the gland. Before the chronic alcoholic disease, an increasing number of proteins in the food juice. The latter clog the small excretory channels of the organ, promoting the proliferation of connective tissue with scars - fibrosis.
Kidneys and alcohol
A person who drinks has a disturbed excretory process of the kidneys, which regulates its activity. The adrenal gland system is constantly malfunctioning, the protective tissue of the hollow organ that lines its inner shell is disrupted.
Dysbacteriosis following alcohol intake
The presence of the described pathology completely prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages. The latter and gassed, lead to inflammatory processes on the intestinal surface. Also, it is not recommended to use alcoholic beverages in the treatment of dysbiosis, due to the lack of results of therapy.
Alcohol accelerates the passage of biological barriers, which explains the passage of toxins from the intestine, digested proteins that are true allergens.
Additional properties of less harmful alcoholic beverages
Various food additives present in the intoxicating drink aggravate the effect of alcohol. To make alcohol less harmful to the liver and other internal organs, they should be consumed with natural, not synthetic ingredients.
Sugar
The sweet substance is found in many alcoholic products: liqueurs, sparkling wines, intoxicating cocktails. 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 shouldn't drink like this.
Increased pressure
The effects of wine drinks are not yet fully understood. Contains organic substances, amino acids, various tannins. Red wine increases the nitrogen content, causing vasodilation, increased blood flow. Therefore, after using it, the pressure decreases.
However, the alcohol effect lasts quickly, the heart muscle begins to increase contractions, expelling new portions of blood, leading to an increase in pressure.
Usage rules
A person has the right to calculate the highest daily dose of alcohol that will not have a strong negative effect on the body. The formula looks like this:
20: 0, 966: per degree of drink × 100.
Based on your calculations, you can give the permitted alcohol volume in ml:
- vodka - 51;
- fortified wine - 103;
- dry, normal - 172;
- beer - 415.
If a person does not want to end his addictions, he can drink 20 grams per day. pure alcohol, which has no pronounced effects on the liver. However, it is recommended to stick to the following rule: do not drink alcohol more than twice a week.
The only exception is true dry red wines. A man can drink 50 g of 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 poisoning depends on both the amount of intoxicated and its type. Below are the most harmful alcoholic beverages in the ranking.
Vodka
The familiar male drink is the last stage. There are no dyes, flavors or other harmful additives here. Vodka can be called the best diet alcoholic product. But this does not mean drinking without measure or mixing with cocktails.
However, vodka has drawbacks:
- frequent poisoning;
- increased usage;
- commercial enterprises often sell a surrogate, a fake.
Hangover is rated three out of 10.
Wine
The described drink can be attributed to a medicine.
The advantages of red wine include:
- prevents the formation of blood clots, all types of inflammation;
- reduces the concentration of harmful cholesterol;
- resveratrol- natural phytoalexin, antioxidant resists aging of the body.
The disadvantage is the presence of harmful methanol. Overuse leads to severe hangover.
White wine is less useful, but lowers cholesterol concentration due to chemical compounds. The liquid medium of the grape is saturated with harmful sulfites, which are added by the manufacturer of the product, which causes severe toxic symptoms that occur after 3 glasses of alcohol. It causes allergic reactions, asthma, migraines and dental diseases.
Signs of alcohol poisoning are classified 6 points.
Liquor
These products are medium and strong. The large presence of sugar leads to the fact that it is used in the preparation of cocktails.
Typically denotes the following types:
- Enriched - 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 from herbs, roots of plants, flowers.
The disadvantage is the high level of sugar, high calorie, which sometimes causes allergies, an unpleasant feeling in the stomach.
Cognac
Intoxicated drink contains a minimal amount of harmful food additives, has a vasodilating effect and leads to the death of some pathogenic microbes. The daily intake should not exceed 50 ml, women - 30.
Pro:
- elimination of gastric spasms;
- without additives;
- stimulation of appetite;
- normalization of blood pressure;
- the humility of the headache.
A large number of restrictions are inherent in the disadvantages: hypertension, addiction, diabetes, high calorie content. Increased use leads to acute vascular insufficiency.
Alcohol syndrome - 8 units.
Beer
Alcohol is produced 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, carcinogenic substances;
- helps hair growth;
- low calorie;
- thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, nicotinic.
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 due to easy digestion;
- cobalt causes inflammation of the esophagus, stomach.
Frequent use of this type of alcoholic drink causes obesity and heart disease.
Sparkling wines
Champagne is 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, rapid intoxication occurs, due to the presence of carbon dioxide bubbles, contributes to the occurrence of liver pathologies, slows digestion.
After-effects of alcohol - 7.
Whiskey
According to medical opinion, the product slows the development of malignant tumors. However, excessive use leads to mental disorders, anger, delirium tremens.
The totality of alcohol symptoms - 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, more severe alcohol poisoning is observed - 9.
Alcoholic cocktails
The presence of alcohol, gas, sugar creates a dangerous mixture for health. The latter causes rapid intoxication, saturates the blood, as a result of which a dynamic absorption of glucose occurs.
Energy
The most harmful alcohol is energy drinks containing C₂H₅OH. A strong alcoholic liquid together with them brings tangible damage to internal organs. Aggression, suicidal tendencies increase, loss of consciousness is observed.
The choice of alcoholic beverages is recommended those in which the alcohol content is less harmful to health. These are natural red and white wines.