Alcohol-the most disserted drink

Fermentation of grains, fruits and vegetables produces a liquid that accompanies man from his most important social gatherings to his bedroom. Man turns to it in both his elated and depressed states and often without either. In many European houses it is an indispensable item of the dinning table.

By now most of us must have guessed it right- it’s the alcohol.
So, if alcohol is a natural product why is so much concern laid about drinking it? Alcohol gets absorbed in the bloodstream and depresses the function of the central nervous system which controls all body functions. This alters a person’s perceptions, emotions and movements.

Experimentation with alcohol during the teen years is common. It may be due to peer pressure or just out of curiosity. A big percentage of high school students try alcohol despite of all the bans imposed by the government and the legal age for it being much higher. Youngsters have an easy access to it.

Everybody knows about the adverse effects of alcohol on health. They call it ‘the most dangerous drug on earth’. Its effects fluctuate with the sex, age, ethnicity and the genotype of the drinker. Liver damage is the best known result of alcohol abuse. Liver swells with acute intoxication and becomes bloated. Over many years it becomes relatively non-functional.

Another major consequence of alcoholism is pancreatitis. Impairment of pancreatic enzyme production spoils digestion. Decreased insulin production may lead to diabetes. Excessive intake of alcohol disturbs the metabolism of various vitamins and other nutrients in the body. Rapid water loss is reported within the first several hours of alcohol ingestion.

Despite of all these ill effects being well acknowledged why does a fat chunk of the world population take alcohol? Is it an addiction? Yes, nearly 15% of alcohol drinkers become addicted to it.

But the benefits of alcohol cannot be ruled out either. Various studies suggest that moderate drinkers tend to have better health and live longer than those who are either abstainers or heavy drinkers. Moderate consumers of alcohol are less prone to heart attacks and strokes. They are also less likely to suffer from hypertension, high blood pressure and peripheral artery diseases.

Sensible drinking appears to be beneficial in avoiding bone fractures, osteoporosis, kidney stones, digestive ailments, stress and depression.All health benefits of drinking apply only to moderate consumption and never to heavy drinking.