Do you also choose “stop thinking” over “stop drinking”? If yes, then this one’s for you.
Did you know most liver-related deaths in India occur due to alcohol abuse[1]?
Thinking how boozing affects your liver?
Excessive alcohol consumption over a period of time can cause alcoholic liver disease, which occurs in three stages:
-Excess fat in liver cells (fatty liver)
-Inflamed liver & damaged liver cells (alcoholic hepatitis)
-Permanent scarring or complete liver damage (liver cirrhosis)
Can The Liver Damage Caused By Your Booze Be Fixed?
Fatty liver can be completely reversed: Cutting down on your boozing helps reverse damage in fatty liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis can be halted: Abstaining from alcohol reduces the risk of further damage to the liver and provides a chance to recover.
Cirrhosis, complex to cure: This stage is usually not reversible. Even one extra shot can be toxic! But, abstaining from alcohol completely can increase your life expectancy.
The earlier the liver damage is identified, the better is the chance of reversing it! A liver function test helps determine how much damage your booze has caused to the liver. Book Test Now
Heavy Drinking: What Does That Mean?
Up to 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcohol-related liver inflammation[2]. Heavy drinking is typically defined as:
For men: consuming 15 drinks or more per week.
For women: consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
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Wondering Why Lesser Limits For Women?
Actually, women are at a higher risk of developing alcohol-related problems because of two reasons:
-A woman’s liver processes alcohol less efficiently than a man’s liver.
-Alcohol is mainly distributed in the body’s water. And pound for pound, women have less water in their bodies than men. So, if a man and woman of same weight take same quantities of alcohol, the woman will have higher blood alcohol levels!
Are There Any Safe Limits Of Drinking Alcohol?
To be true, no level is safe! However, if you still choose to drink, you should not exceed:
Daily limits: 3 to 4 units and 2 to 3 units in a day for men and women, respectively
Weekly limits, in general: 14 units in a week[3]
Always remember: The recommended limits do not guarantee safety for all people at all times.
1 unit = 10 mL or 8g of pure alcohol. On average, an adult takes around 1 hour to process 1 unit of alcohol so that there is none left in the blood.
**Consult India’s best doctors here**
Tips for Safe and Sensible Alcohol Use:
-Choose to finish a drink before getting another. This will help you drink less.
-Sip on the glass rather than gulping. Take a break of 20-30 minutes in between two drinks. This gives enough time to your liver to absorb the previous dose.
-Keep on snacking. This helps to slow down the absorption of alcohol.
-Sip water in between drinks to prevent dehydration and exaggeration of a hangover.
-Avoid neat drinks. Mix with water, soda, or zero-cal soft drinks.
-Do not underestimate beer for its low alcohol content than others.
-Do follow at least “3 alcohol free-days” in a week.
-Diffuse Alcohol & Infuse Your Liver With A New Life!
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(The article is reviewed by Dr. Swati Mishra, Medical Editor)
Recommended Reads:
Cirrhosis of Liver : Here Is What You Need To Know !
Liver Detox: How To Go About It
References
1. Kumar A, Gupta V, Arora A. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2017; Volume 15, Issue 1, Page e37.
2. Alcohol-Related-Liver-Disease-Brochure-2017. https://liverfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Alcohol-Related-Liver-Disease-Brochure-2017.pdf
3. Drinking Statistics. Drinkware. https://www.drinkaware.co.uk