The effects of alcohol on the human body can occur in many parts of the body, such as the liver or even the muscles or skin.
The duration of the effects of alcohol on the body is related to the time it takes the liver to metabolize alcohol. On average, it takes the body 1 hour to metabolize just 1 can of beer, so if the individual has drunk 8 cans of beer, the alcohol will be present in the body for at least 8 hours.
Immediate effects of excessive alcohol
Depending on the amount ingested and the individual’s physical condition, the immediate effects of alcohol on the body can be:
- Slurred speech, drowsiness, vomiting,
- Diarrhea, heartburn and burning in the stomach,
- Headache, difficulty breathing,
- Altered vision and hearing,
- Change in reasoning ability,
- Lack of attention, changes in perception and motor coordination,
- Alcoholic blackout which are memory failures in which the individual cannot remember what happened while they were under the influence of alcohol;
- Loss of reflexes, loss of judgment of reality, alcoholic coma.
During pregnancy, alcohol consumption can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that causes physical deformity and mental retardation in the fetus.
Long term effects
Regular consumption of more than 60g per day, which is equivalent to 6 chops, 4 glasses of wine or 5 caipirinhas, can be harmful to health, favoring the development of diseases such as hypertension, arrhythmia and increased cholesterol.
The 5 diseases that can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption are:
1. Hypertension
Excessive alcohol consumption can cause hypertension, with an increase mainly in systolic pressure, but alcohol abuse also reduces the effect of antihypertensive medications, and both situations increase the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack.
2. Cardiac arrhythmia
Excess alcohol can also affect the functioning of the heart, which can lead to atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and ventricular extrasystoles and this can also happen in people who do not drink alcohol frequently, but abuse it at a party, for example. But regular consumption of large doses of alcohol favors the appearance of fibrosis and inflammation.
3. Increased cholesterol
Alcohol above 60g stimulates the increase in VLDL and therefore it is not recommended to take a blood test to assess dyslipidemia after drinking alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, it increases atherosclerosis and reduces the amount of HDL.
4. Increased atherosclerosis
People who consume a lot of alcohol have more swollen artery walls and are prone to atherosclerosis, which is the accumulation of fatty plaques inside the arteries.
5. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy can occur in people who consume more than 110g/day of alcohol for 5 to 10 years, being more common in young people, between 30 and 35 years of age. But in women the dose may be lower and cause the same damage. This change causes an increase in vascular resistance, reducing the cardiac index.
But in addition to these diseases, excess alcohol also leads to an increase in uric acid, which can be deposited in the joints, causing acute pain, popularly known as gout.
