Excessive Drinking and the Digestive Tract
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If you find yourself having to reason with a loved one as to why he or she should cut down on alcohol, perhaps this will be ammunition for you:
Heavy drinking can wreak havoc on the digestive tract.
The concerns include poor diet, where you are replacing healthy foods and beverages with beer, wine and hard liquor.
But even more serious are the risks of alcoholic liver disease and chronic pancreatitis, to name just a couple of digestive ailments.
Of course, moderate alcohol use has been touted for its various benefits, including heart health. But evaluate whether enjoyment of alcohol has risen to a contentious issue between you and your loved one, especially if you fear health issues.
Every situation is different, but the Alcohol Use and Health Fact Sheet from the Centers for Disease Control offers good guidelines for when enough is enough.
In defining patterns, the CDC says binge drinking occurs when women have four or more drinks during a single occasion and men, five or more drinks.
Heavy drinking is defined as, for women, more than one drink per day on average and for men, more than two drinks per day on average.
Excessive drinking can encompass binge drinking, heavy drinking or both, the CDC adds.
And now for several, but not all, of the reasons that overdoing it on alcohol can damage your digestive tract:
Cirrhosis -- Picture it as a scarring of the liver that occurs over time, making it harder for your liver to process nutrients and produce bile, among other tasks. Your digestive tract cannot function without your liver.
The two main causes of cirrhosis are alcohol-related liver disease and chronic hepatitis C.
According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, the amount of alcohol it takes to damage the liver can vary from person to person. But if you’re a man consuming three to four drinks a day or a woman having two to three drinks a day, liver damage and cirrhosis are a possibility.
Liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma -- The NDDIC says that it can be an outcome of cirrhosis, and as you may know, it has a high mortality rate.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment3 Comments
Remember too, Dark beer and red wine also contribute to excess gas production
January 26, 2012 - 12:52pmThis Comment
Great point, Jill!
Kathy,
January 26, 2012 - 12:53pmPuristat Digestive Specialist
More than one drink a day makes a woman a heavy drinker?
A glass of wine should be about 4oz and many women have two glasses with lunch or dinner every day. This is not heavy drinking and is within the guidelines of no more than 14 units per week for women.
~Susan
January 26, 2012 - 2:00pm