Alcohol and the heart: to drink or not to drink

In the already mentioned book "Alcohol policy and the public good," stated that "for the prevention of CHD, there are other ways to protect the health of a much more convincing performance than promoting alcohol consumption.

Any attempts to make recommendations that encourage the consumption of alcohol in the hope of benefit from preventing CHD likely will cause the public more harm than good. "And indeed, the hope that this recommendation will be heard and accurately performed exclusively by people of middle age, who do not drink alcohol or use it in very moderate amounts, it would be more than naive.

Thus, serious researchers, even recognizing the protective effect of moderate doses of alcohol, make recommendations, which are not the same as those that can be read in some publications.

Coming back to the reason you need to pay attention to such facts. In Western studies often abstainers group includes such people as former alcoholics, people who are suffering from childhood, etc. When these individuals were excluded from the sample in a number of studies (but not all), J-shaped curve is transformed into a straight line.

This prompted a closer look at the other, in addition to alcohol consumption, the characteristics of people who do not drink alcohol, and those who use it in moderation. It turned out that in Western societies, where moderate drinking is very common, people refusing to drink, often drops out of the range of social communication (for example, in England, men go to the pub mainly for communication, but do not drink it virtually impossible).

This situation often leads to constant social stress, which can cause CHD in many years. Interesting results were obtained from study groups abstainers who have enough social interaction, such as Mormons or California Adventists Denmark, as well as members of the great temperance organizations (in Norway for 10 years, studied a group of 5332 members of the International Organization of humanism and Temperance).

All of these studies have shown that the mortality rate among members of these groups was significantly lower than average mortality in their countries. For example, in the last study, the death rate from cardiovascular diseases was 15% less than the average in Norway. Interesting fact entered on the other side.

The study of mortality and alcohol consumption in the rural areas of Italy showed that mortality was lower among those who consumed 30-60 grams of alcohol per day (as opposed to the United States and England, where it is the lowest among the group with a level of 5-20 grams per day) .

But if we take into account that in those parts of Italy the average alcohol consumption of 85 grams a day, as well as the tradition of the wine country, it is clear that there is for the ordinary communication is necessary to drink at least 30 grams of alcohol a day.

On the basis of these facts, we can conclude that drinking (as social process) may have a protective effect on the heart, and alcohol (as a chemical) - hardly.

In considering the problem of "alcohol and heart" to take into account that the effects of alcohol on the heart has virtually no effect on the decision to drink or not to drink.

Let's imagine that alcohol - this is a new substance that actually reduces the risk of CHD, and someone decided to earn some money. Consumers say, "This alcohol, liquid with a pungent taste. If you buy and use it for almost 20 grams each day throughout adult life, the risk of developing CHD decline by ??%." It is unlikely that such a business would be successful.

In conclusion, I would like to say that whatever it was, alcohol problems are not limited to heart. And I want to again quote the book "Alcohol policy and the public good":

"The measurement of the full range of alcohol-related consequences shows that the consumption of alcohol with a complete lack of risk exists only in the imagination.

For health and social well-being of the less alcohol, the better. "

Konstantin Krasovsky

Director of the Information Centre on Alcohol and Drugs, Kiev

expert of the WHO Regional Office

What is a living beer

However, after the discovery of its mutagenic and teratogenic effects of the use of formalin it was forbidden. It is now widely used variety of colloidal stability of stabilizers which prevent separation of beer and promote the long-term preservation "beer Hats".

Until the end of 1960 for this purpose are often used is clearly not indifferent to the health of surfactants. The most notorious bought cobalt chloride, which caused the death of a significant number of regular consumers of beer.

In a series of clinical, morphological and physiological studies in this period, it was found that cobalt chloride causes the development of a specific lesion cardiac muscle - Cobalt cardiomyopathy.

According to some reports, remained at the level of rumors, in some cases, alcohol is added to the beer - and a preservative, and the strength of the drink increases.

What is beer?

Beer is a natural drink, which contains a large number of compounds formed during fermentation and received it from plant material.

The main components of beer are water (91-93%), carbohydrates (1, 5-4, 5%), ethanol (3-7%) and nitrogen-containing substances (0, 2-0, 65%). Other components are referred to as minor.

Carbohydrate beer on 75-85% consist of dextrin. In simple sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose) accounts for 10-15% of the total amount of carbohydrates. Only 2-8% other carbohydrates presented, complex sugars (polysaccharides, pectin and other fragments.).

Explain that dextrins, it oligosaccharides, i.e. they contain several molecules of simple sugars - ahead of glucose or fructose (where one molecule - a monosaccharide), sucrose, or maltose (where the two molecules - it disaccharides), but less than starch or cellulose (where a lot of molecules - is polysaccharides).

Dextrins can see when frying potatoes. That makes them golden brown color, and they are formed by the thermal destruction of the starch of which consists of potatoes. Probably, the dextrin and the number affect the color of beer.

Alcohols. Ethanol enters the body with beer, it does not exert a dehydrating effect due to the high water content in the beverage, in other words, in the use of beer, unlike vodka, can not inject a lethal dose of alcohol.

The mechanisms of the toxic action of ethanol and other components interconnected beer. Thus, ethanol is capable of modifying or enhancing the toxic effect of a number of minor compounds, and vice versa.

In this connection it should be noted that recently the market alcohol products a new kind of beer with a high alcohol content - up to 12% (strong beer).

The use of such beers in the same amount as usual, of course, leads to a chain of negative consequences resulting from the combined toxic effects of alcohol and other biologically active compounds.

During fermentation also formed higher alcohols (propanol, butanol, amyl alcohol), esters (ethyl formate, butyl acetate, etc.). These substances affect the taste and smell of beer, but they are the components from which vodka is cleared. Higher alcohol content is 50 - 100 mg / l.

Nitrogen-containing substances are mainly represented beer polypeptides and amino acids. Most of them goes to the malt beverage. Only 20-30% of the amino acids are waste products of yeast.

In the beer presents all essential amino acids. However, their nutritional value due to the small amount is negligible.

Alcohol and the heart: to drink or not to drink

Recently in the press are increasing reports with reference to the foreign experts about the fact that drinking alcohol in moderation has beneficial effects on the heart, and so those who do not drink, you need to quit addiction to sobriety. True or not? If so, what to do?

It concerns all or not? What exactly is "moderate"? Try to understand.

It is well known that alcohol can have very negative effects on the heart.

Most Western research shows that there is a direct relationship between alcohol consumption and high blood pressure. One study found that nelechivshiesya moderate drinkers with high blood pressure after reducing alcohol consumption by half experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure.

People who drink a lot of alcohol are at increased risk of death from stroke. In Canada, for 11 years there was a group of 3146 men aged 35-79 years who have not had heart disease.

The results showed that the death rate from stroke is clearly linked to the consumption of alcohol in a "dose-response". The study noted some straightforward relationship between alcohol consumption and the likelihood of occurrence of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Alcohol in large quantities is associated with an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy.

Studies in Finland, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and other countries have shown that there is a direct relationship between alcohol consumption and acute myocardial and sudden coronary death.

Research in emergency room cases of atrial fibrillation (a common heart rhythm disorder) showed that alcohol was the cause or one of the reasons that 2/3 of all cases.

Thus, for this group of heart disease found that the more people drink, the greater the risk of the disease, and not revealed consumption threshold below which there is no risk.

The question of the positive effects of alcohol on the heart arose on the basis of epidemiological studies that have since 1920 found that the relationship between alcohol consumption and mortality (mainly mortality from coronary heart disease - CHD) is described (though not always) the curve J-shaped or U-shaped.

This means that the death rate of those who drank little lower than both abstainers and those who drink a lot. There is no evidence that the selection of alcoholic drinks (vodka, wine or beer) effect on risk reduction, as well as the fact that alcohol consumption reduces the risk of CHD youth in later life.

As you know, the BSC is very common among the population of western countries and, therefore, in most of these studies examined deaths among older men in these countries. Studies of different groups that differ by gender, ethnicity or socio-economic characteristics, often do not give the same results.

A study in Japan, the study found that the relationship between alcohol and mortality identified in Western countries, is not observed in the Japanese population, where the rate of occurrence of CHD is much lower, and the level of stroke, which has a direct relationship with alcohol consumption is much higher.

In the British Regional Heart Study the protective effect was observed only among manual workers and those who smoke. A study in Finland 5-year study of 4532 men showed a small, but a direct link between the death of the BSC and the level of alcohol consumption.

During the anti-alcohol campaign of 1985-1987, overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases has not changed, and in the age group 0-64 years, it decreased significantly in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics. It is clear, however, that the epidemiological data indicate only that the two indicators have some connection, but do not answer the question of what this relationship is due.

As is known, "then" it does not necessarily mean "thereby". The death rate in the US Army less than the national average, but no it is not recommended for better health to wear uniforms. The search for a biological mechanism explaining reduce the risk of CHD with moderate alcohol consumption is very active, but so far without success.

They mainly focused on the study of lipid levels and aggregation of platelets. Thus, as stated in the book "Alcohol policy and the public good", commissioned by the WHO 17, the world's leading experts, "evidence of the protective effect of alcohol consumption on CHD convincing level of associations, but at the level of causality - that's just an assumption."

For reasons we will address later, but I wonder to what conclusions the Western experts on the basis of epidemiological data. In 1993 in Toronto (Canada) hosted an international symposium on "Moderate alcohol consumption and health." They concluded that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of CHD in middle age and on the basis of this conclusion made specific recommendations, namely:

POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

There is no reason to weaken alcohol-control policies in light of the potential to reduce the risk of disease with moderate alcohol consumption.

In light of the potential to reduce morbidity with moderate consumption, it makes sense to encourage the replacement of the high level of alcohol consumption low.

The educational materials should not be recommended to those who adhere to sobriety, start drinking to reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as to recommend to those who drink occasionally, go to regular drinking.

TIPS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL

* General recommendation - should not drink more than 20 grams of alcohol a day.

* For some groups, this limit is even lower.

* Those who abstain from alcohol should not start drinking to reduce the risk of disease.

* For those who do not drink every day, should not be to increase consumption to reduce the risk of disease.

* All those who drank more than 20 grams of alcohol per day, reduce the consumption of alcohol.

* In order to minimize the risk of disease, it is necessary for at least one day per week to abstain from alcohol.

* Anyone who consume alcohol should not be drunk to intoxication.

* Pregnant women should refrain from alcohol.

* In certain circumstances and for certain categories of people alcohol is contraindicated.

* For those who want to increase their alcohol consumption in order to improve health, you should first consult a physician.