Alcohol is often seen as a harmless indulgence, but it can be surprisingly damaging to your health. It increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, damages your liver, and provides empty calories with no nutrition. Here is a closer look at why alcohol is worse for you than you might think.
Increases Cardiovascular Risks
Alcohol is often seen as a harmless indulgence, but its effects on your cardiovascular health are far worse than most people know. Studies have shown that benefits derived from moderate drinking can be vastly outweighed by the risks when consumed in large amounts or too frequently. Alcohol itself contains no nutrients, although some alcoholic beverages are fortified with vitamins to give consumers a sense of well-being.
In reality, excessive alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure resulting in serious problems like strokes and heart attacks. Furthermore, alcohol has a profoundly negative impact on those already suffering from existing conditions such as high cholesterol or diabetes. It’s clear that drinking should be done sensibly, in moderation, and with caution if it is going to reduce health risks.
Damages Your Liver
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to several different types of liver damage, including fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. When the liver cannot process the toxins in alcohol effectively, they build up in the body and cause inflammation and tissue damage.
Drinking alcohol can compound issues like fatty liver disease. These conditions may already exist due to other causes such as obesity or diabetes.
Empty Calories
Alcohol contains empty calories—calories that provide no nutritional value whatsoever—which makes it difficult for those trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. One 12-ounce beer contains about 153 calories; a 5-ounce glass of wine contains about 125 calories; one 1.5-ounce shot of liquor contains about 97 calories per serving. These numbers add up quickly if you regularly consume alcoholic beverages over time.
As we have seen here today, consuming alcohol is not without its risks when it comes to your health. From increasing cardiovascular risks to damaging your liver, consuming too much can have serious consequences for your overall well-being. While moderate consumption may be okay in some cases depending on personal circumstances, it’s important to stay mindful of how much you are drinking and make sure you are maintaining good digestive health habits at all times.
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