How alcohol affects your health

From DNA to hormones, heavy drinking can alter your body’s biology in a big way. Overdoing on alcohol can have a much bigger impact on your body than just one day of misery.

The cumulative effects of heavy drinking were revealed in a large-scale study of almost 600,000 drinkers in 19 countries. Researchers found that drinkers who downed between 14 and 25 drinks per week, approximately, had an average lifespan up to two years shorter than those who drank a maximum of around seven alcoholic drinks per week. The findings, which were published in April 2018 in The Lancet, also revealed that as weekly alcohol consumption increased, so did the risk of stroke, heart failure, and death from hypertension or aortic aneurysm.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines heavy alcohol consumption as more than 8 drinks per week for women and 15 drinks for men. The CDC defines a drink as 12 ounces (oz) of any beer with an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 5 percent or less — an amount exceeded by many craft brews — 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of distilled spirits such as vodka or rum. These serving sizes are often inflated by overpouring, so you may be drinking more than you realize. The CDC recommends moderate alcohol consumption, which is defined as two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for woman.

When it comes to excessive alcohol use, the main problem for most people is drinking excessively on a single occasion, known as binge drinking. That means four or more drinks for women, and five or more for men, in a two- to three-hour span.

“Having one drink every day of the week is not the same as having seven drinks on a Saturday,” says Kathy Jung, director of the division of metabolism and health effects at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “Binge drinking is never safe.”

In addition to taking years off your life, excess drinking can have other significant effects on your body and mind:

1.Changes your DNA and Makes you Crave More

Both binge drinking and heavy drinking can actually change your genetic makeup and leave you wanting more alcohol, more often, according to a study published in December 2018 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

When researchers compared groups of binge drinkers and heavy drinkers to moderate drinkers (one drink per day for women and up to two for men), they found that an alcohol-induced gene modification process called methylation changed two genes in the bodies of the people in the former group. One of those genes, known as PER2, affects the body’s biological clock, and the other, POMC, regulates the stress response system. 

The result of these changes is an increased desire for alcohol. This finding provides evidence that excessive drinking can actually alter your genes and that these specific epigenetic changes in these specific genes is associated with an increase in the desire to drink alcohol. That may help explain why alcohol use disorder is so powerful and affects so many.

2. Increases the Risk of Certain Cancers

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) cites several studies, including one meta-analysis of 572 studies that showed that alcohol increases the risk of certain cancers, including those that affect the mouth, throat, liver, and breast. 

According to the NCI, they are five times more likely than nondrinkers to contract esophageal cancer. But even moderate drinking nearly doubles the odds of mouth and throat cancer. Having as little as one drink a day can increase the risk of breast cancer as well. Previous research published in the International Journal of Cancer found that alcohol contributed to approximately 5.5 percent of cancer occurrences and nearly 6 percent of cancer deaths worldwide.

3. Changes the Composition of Organisms in the Gut and Harms Immunity

Research focusing on the delicate balance of microorganisms that reside in the gastrointestinal tract has found that disruptions to these bacterial colonies can affect not only digestion but other aspects of health as well, particularly immunity. Consuming alcohol has been shown to affect this bacterial balance.

Studies have shown that alcoholics have a different balance of gut bacteria and impacts to their intestinal barrier, and chronic drinking has been shown to have harmful effects on immune system cells. Lowered immunity could explain why research published in October 2021 in World Psychiatry indicates that individuals with substance use disorders, including alcohol, have an increased risk of developing COVID-19, even after they have been vaccinated.

4. Affects Long-Term Memory and Brain Structure

One night of binge drinking can lead to blackouts that wipe out memories of key events and details, and consistent alcohol consumption can affect long-term brain function. 

People who drink heavily over a long period of time are at risk of changing the brain’s “hard-wiring,” which can lead to cognitive problems even after sobriety is attained, reports American Addiction Centers. Heavy alcohol consumption can also impact the brain long term and raise the risk of stroke and depression, and research conducted in May 2021 at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom found that even moderate drinking decreases the brain’s gray and white matter. The findings concluded that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption for brain health.”

5. Causes Hormonal Disturbances

Chronic heavy drinking can also wreak havoc on the endocrine system, which acts as one of the body’s main lines of communication between organs and other systems (like the nervous and immune systems). 

Similar to the way alcohol creates an imbalance in the gut, it also throws the endocrine system off-kilter by disrupting the release of important hormones, creating hormonal disturbances that can permeate every organ and tissue in the body, per a study published in 2017 in Alcohol Research: Current Reviews. The study reports that the disturbances can go as far as causing reproductive dysfunction, thyroid problems, immune system abnormalities, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and psychological and behavioral disorders. There is also research that suggests alcohol increases production of the stress hormone cortisol during and after drinking, which consequently increases blood pressure and causes higher amounts of stress.

Foods and Lifestyles that Cause Constipation

Constipation is not usually connected to only one food. Instead, it is the combination of food (or other lifestyles or genetic factors) that is slowing down your bowels. But sometimes, constipation is linked to a lack of certain foods or nutrients in your diet—mainly fiber, a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot fully digest and thus, moves through your digestive system relatively intact, essentially making your bowels do what they are designed to do. 

Here, gastroenterologists weigh in on the top foods, along with some lifestyle factors, that can slow down your digestive system, leading to constipation and infrequent bathroom trips. But remember: foods, and how much of them you eat, affect people differently. This is not a one-size-fits-all rule that everyone should follow.

Dairy products

Some children seem to be particularly sensitive to cow's milk dairy products.  But there is less science about how common dairy-induced constipation is in adults. For people with chronic constipation, they may switch to non-dairy alternatives like almond, soy and oat milk, as much as possible. 

Red meat

People who eat high amounts of red meat are not eating enough fiber.  Moreover, red meat also contains quite a bit of fat, which moves slower through the digestive system. 

Processed and fried foods

Fast food could be the trigger behind your constipation. This is because processed foods tend to be high in fat and low in fiber, a combo that is rough on the colon, and can often slow down motility (or your body's ability to move food through its digestive tract). Thus if you are not getting enough fiber in your diet outside of your fast-food meal, it can lead to constipation. 

Sweets

For the same reason, sweets can be a problem if they are overrepresented in your diet because they have so little fiber. 

Eating less

If you are on a diet or otherwise have had to significantly reduce the amount of food you are eating, it could make you constipated. This is because the stomach needs to dilate enough when you eat to cause the gastrocolic reflex. When the stomach expands, the colon starts to contract, which leads to emptying the stools. If you do not have enough food inside your stomach, you are not going to get that reflex. Or, you can try to increase the fiber in the foods you are eating to give your colon a little extra help. 

Changing habits

If there is a change to your routine such as the timing of your meals, it may disrupt your digestion as the bowel likes consistency in the diet. In this case, you may want to try to bring some routine with you—like your daily morning fiber cereal.

Medications

Medication is a major cause of constipation. If you are taking medications, particularly for allergies, anemia, reflux, nausea, blood pressure, psychiatric disorders or pain, and you have constipation, you may need to talk to your doctor about this.

COVID pill cuts risk of death or hospitalisation by half

 

The COVID-19 treatment pill called molnupiravir, which is being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, can reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death in newly diagnosed patients. 

In a recent international clinical trial of 775 unvaccinated and high-risk people, the drug was shown to cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by approximately one half. 

The data, which was released by Merck, also showed that molnupiravir demonstrated consistent efficacy across the viral variants Gamma, Delta and Mu. 

“With the virus continuing to circulate widely, and because therapeutic options currently available are infused and/or require access to a healthcare facility, antiviral treatments that can be taken at home to keep people with COVID-19 out of the hospital are critically needed,” said Wendy Holman, chief executive officer of Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

Molnupiravir works by stopping the coronavirus from multiplying and destroying more cells. Once metabolised by the body, it incorporates RNA-like building blocks into the virus's genome, which disrupts replication by creating mutations so that the virus can no longer spread.

Based on the data in the company’s release, the drug appears to have a clean safety profile, meaning there were no serious side effects in trial volunteers.

The course of treatment involves four 200-milligram capsules that are taken twice a day for five days after a patient is diagnosed with COVID-19. 

While initial data on molnupiravir proves encouraging, experts have warned that it should not be seen as an alternative to vaccination, which is still the best form of protection against getting COVID-19 in the first place.  

Merck intends to produce 10 million courses of treatment by the end of 2021, with more doses expected to be produced in 2022.

Napping: Good or Bad?

Studies show that naps are anything but a waste of time—or a sign of laziness. Beyond reducing stress levels during the day, napping can strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems.

"Napping can be a great tool to enhance alertness and productivity in the afternoon," says Rebecca Robbins, a sleep scientist and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. 

Napping can even boost short-term memory and muscle memory. The key is to set your alarm and stick to it; 20 to 25 minutes is an ideal power nap to avoid entering deep sleep and feeling groggy upon waking—or interfering with night time sleep patterns.

On the occasional day when you are just totally beat, a longer nap is fine for playing catch-up. 

"If you're completely sleep-deprived from a long week of short sleep or a night of partial sleep deprivation, a 90-minute nap is recommended," she says.

For the most benefit, time your nap about halfway between your morning wake-up time and your bedtime.

Why do I snore?

 

For reasons ranging from environmental (allergies) to anatomical (the size/shape of your tonsils or tongue), there can be a temporary narrowing in your airway while you are in a sleeping position. The resulting vibrations or fluttering of airway and throat tissues are what cause those sounds we call snoring, says Jade Wu, a board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist and researcher at the Duke University School of Medicine.

The fix can be as simple as changing your position. One trick: Stick a tennis ball in the back of a tight shirt to prevent yourself from rolling onto your back (the prime snoring position). 

If your snoring remains loud and persistent, please consult a doctor for testing, as you might have sleep apnea, a potentially serious disorder.

Do I need eight hours of sleep?

"If you're asking how much sleep we need on average, that's a reasonable answer. But does everybody need eight hours of sleep? The answer is most certainly no," says W. Chris Winter, a neurologist and sleep expert based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Health Advisory Board member. 

"We create anxiety throwing that number around, because there are plenty of people who need less." 

If you regularly wake up feeling refreshed after seven hours and maintain that energy throughout the day, you have found the amount of sleep you need.

Air pollution kills millions worldwide every year

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants.

From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about seven million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

Ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths per year due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Around 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits. While ambient air pollution affects developed and developing countries alike, low- and middle-income countries experience the highest burden, with the greatest toll in the WHO Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions.

Policies and investments supporting cleaner transport, energy-efficient housing, power generation, industry and better municipal waste management can effectively reduce key sources of ambient air pollution.

Is it OK to get the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time?

 

According to Dr. Cassandra M. Pierre, an infectious disease physician and medical director of public health programs at Boston Medical Center, not only is it safe to get both shots at the same time, she actually recommends doubling up if you have not had either vaccine yet or you are due for your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to help prevent the spread of both diseases in the community.

In fact, getting multiple immunizations in one appointment is not a new practice. For example, kids routinely get several shots—for example, the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines—at the same appointment. So introducing multiple viruses to the body at once does not impact how well your immune system can protect you from them. 

In other words: it is unlikely your body would struggle to create an immune response to influenza because it was mounting one to COVID-19, or vice versa. Immunogenicity—the ability of a vaccine to promote an immune response—and adverse events are generally similar whether one shot or multiple shots are given. And it is not likely you will feel significantly worse after getting both shots than you would had you just gotten one. If you typically feel crummy after vaccines, getting two vaccines does not mean you should feel double the side effects. 

Dr. Nicolas Barros, an infectious disease specialist at Indiana University Health, suggests using different limbs, if possible, to avoid having a localized pain reaction on the same limb from two vaccines.

Now, as a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 continues to surge and this year's flu season approaches, Dr. Pierre says it is ideal to seek protection against both. "We're really concerned about the resurfacing of influenza at a time when COVID-19 is rising," she says. In general, doctors recommend getting a flu vaccine near the beginning of flu season, which usually occurs from September to May. "People are busy, so it is expedient to try to cut down on the number of appointments you have and just get both at once." 

In the future, you may be able to get both the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines all in one shot; Dr. Pierre says several vaccine manufacturers are currently working on making co-vaccines. For now, though, you can get two jabs—ideally at the same appointment.

How to Support a Healthy Immune System

Here are some selections and habits for a healthy immune system:

DAILY INTAKES

1. ELDERBERRY

Studies have found that elderberry can supply the body with an additional boost of antioxidants, increasing our natural immune response and supporting a healthy resilience.

2. VITAMIN C

Research indicates a higher supply of vitamin C may support several immune system parameters, including maintenance of cellular health and providing antioxidants to defend against oxidative stress. 

3. VITAMIN D

Along with its well-known bone building benefits, this nutrient also contributes to immune cell modulation and response. 

4. ZINC

Dubbed as the “Gatekeeper of Immune Function,” this antioxidant functions in cellular signaling pathways. Actually, Zinc's benefit is even broader than this  - it is important for the optimal function of virtually all immune cells. 

Also, you need to eat a balanced diet. And try to reach for immune-supporting foods like citrus fruit, sweet potato, poultry, dark leafy greens, low-fat yogurt and herbal teas. You can include herbs and spices such as thyme, turmeric, ginger and garlic into your favorite recipes for added immune-boosting antioxidants. 

HABITS

1. Slow Down, Stress Less

Take steps to reduce stress like taking a warm bath, listening to soothing music or practicing breathing exercises. 

2. Exercise Regularly

Stay active by doing 30 minutes of physical activity a day to help your immune system fight back quicker when it faces an attack. 

3. Stay Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water helps support healthy immune function by carrying oxygen to cells and by flushing out toxins in the body.

4. Get Enough Restful Sleep

Restful sleep helps your immune system release special proteins called cytokines that help fight off foreign invaders, shoot for 7 to 9 hours a night.