Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Alcohol - Double Whammies
[Overview]
[Media Bias]
[Type 2 Diabetes]
[Diabetes & Depression]
[Depression]
[Heart Disease]
[Periodontal Disease]
[Other Issues]
Overview
“Double Whammies” can occur when a person consumes even small amounts of alcohol. Double Whammies happen when one area of health is adversely affected because of alcohol use, resulting in other areas also being negatively affected. For example, when alcohol consumption causes an interruption or decrease in restful sleep. Studies show that not having adequate sleep can hasten aging and increase some diseases, like diabetes. Mental agility often diminishes by middle age in those who have diabetes. A lack of sleep resulting from alcohol use, or for other reasons, can also cause a reduced production of thyroid stimulating hormone and an increased blood level of cortisol which is associated with memory impairment.
The use of alcohol contributes to weight gain and increases the chance that you will use tobacco. Then it plays havoc with self-discipline and will-power while trying to lose weight or trying to quit smoking. Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of heart disease and late-onset diabetes, as well as result in slower cognitive abilities, increased pain and decreased mobility. Just the use of alcohol alone can also cause slower cognitive abilities, diabetes and weight gain, adding to these problems of being overweight.
Alcohol consumption increases the risk of osteoporosis which results in the likelihood of falls and accidents (which can be from a bone breaking and causing a fall). Alcohol use increases the risk of falls whether or not the drinker has osteoporosis.
In depression, which is the most common serious brain disease in the U.S., the neural circuits responsible for the regulation of moods, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior fail to function properly, and critical neurotransmitters are out of balance. Alcohol can be the cause of these symptoms in some people, or worsen the symptoms already present. The following illnesses are thought to be connected to the development of depressive symptoms; nervous system disorders, vitamin deficiencies, congestive heart failure, strokes, infectious hepatitis and endocrine disorders (such as diabetes), all of which are negatively affected by the use of alcohol. The many health problems that are caused from alcohol use - digestion, depression, anxiety, fatigue, lowered immunity, elevated triglycerides, etc., can result in unnecessary medical tests and medications, not to mention the added stress and added expense involved.
Food allergies, poor digestion, and stress may increase the risk of developing colon polyps. Alcohol use makes allergies worse, interferes with digestion and causes stress on the body, which makes it more likely the drinker will develop colon polyps.
High blood pressure puts younger, middle-aged and older men at significant risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes in latter life, and cognitive decline as well. Alcohol can be a cause or contributor to high blood pressure, resulting in having a negative effect on cardiovascular problems.
Those who suffer from arthritis may be prone to developing chronic gum disease that can lead to tooth and bone loss. The two disorders share the same common traits such as chronic inflammation and damage caused by the immune system. The use of alcohol can worsen arthritis, dental problems, and negatively affect the immune system.
Poor blood-sugar regulation and hypoglycemia are sometimes overlooked, yet are recognized triggers for migraines. Low blood sugar creates a biochemical stress response, and stress hormones such as adrenaline, are released. The use of alcohol plays havoc with blood sugar, places an extra stress on the body, and can be a trigger for headaches all by itself.
Media Bias in Reporting Risks of Alcohol Use
When reporting studies, the media often minimizes any risks while maximizing or exaggerating any possible benefits, or omits important information given by the researchers, which influences the public to think of alcohol as healthy. The public deserves better balanced, more responsible reporting.
To help you balance the media’s pro-alcohol reporting, I would suggest reading other subjects relating to the dangers of light and moderate alcohol use on this Web site, for example: The Effect of One Alcoholic Drink or Health Benefits of Alcohol Questioned.
Type 2 Diabetes
People who regularly snore have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle modifications that reduce the risks of snoring and diabetes should be seriously considered.
{Betty Kamen's Table Talk Hint, no. #787, March 24, 2002} Editor's comment: Since alcohol use increases the risk of snoring, this should be added to the other lifestyle risks: physical activity, smoking cessation, and weight loss.
Women 65 or over with type 2 diabetes (the most common kind) are twice as likely to break a hip or shoulder. Women with diabetes had denser bones than the others but speculation is that diabetes may weaken the architecture of the bones without actually thinning them, or other complications of the disease could increase the chance of bone-shattering falls.
{“Diabetes raises fracture risk,” Consumer Reports On Health, March 2003} Author’s comment: The use of alcohol increases the risk of osteoporosis and diabetes, also increases the risk of a fall.
Diabetes and Depression Linked
Having diabetes doubles your odds of depression. Furthermore, either condition can make the other worse, notes researcher Patrick Lustman, PhD, Professor of Medical Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. This conclusion was from a review of 25 years' worth of research. Depression can contribute to overeating, which can lead to being overweight, a factor for diabetes, or to elevated blood sugar if you have diabetes. Depression can also lead to physical inactivity, another diabetes risk factor. Insulin resistance, one of the hallmarks of diabetes, raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol, a marker for depression.
{"Diabetes/Depression Link," Dangerous Combo, Prevention magazine, Feb. 2002} Author's comments: This looks like a triple whammy as alcohol is a negative for depression, diabetes and elevated blood sugar, overeating/overweight, physical activity, and it raises the levels of cortisol. See each of these topics on this Web site.
Depression
One study reported that depressed patients have worse heart function after a heart attack, which could be the source of their increased risk of death. Past research has linked clinical depression with an elevated amount of stress hormones in the blood.
{"Depression Affects Nervous System and Can Cause Heart Attacks," Circulation, Oct. 23, 2001 on www.mercola.com - Jan. 2002}
Author's comments: Alcohol can cause or contribute to depression and cause an increase in stress hormones.
Researchers have found that even mild depression may suppress an older person's immune system. Lead study author Lynanne McGuire, PhD, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says the results of the study printed in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2002, suggests that depressive symptoms can exacerbate and accelerate the immunological declines that accompany aging. {"Depression Affects Immunity," www.ivanhoe.com - Feb. 2002} Editor's comment: Alcohol consumption depresses the immune system as well as causes or contributes to depression.
Periodontal disease
Those with periodontal disease may be prone to releasing toxins into the bloodstream, which helps explain the link between gum infections and cardiovascular disease. Periodontal disease is associated with an increased risk of stroke and coronary disease.
{Journal of Periodontology 2002}
{"Infected gums and heart disease," Nutrition Hints from Batty Kamen, PhD, Hint # 749, Feb. 2002}
Author's comments: (Alcohol use contributes to periodontal disease, and therefore contributes to cardiovascular disease.)
If diabetes is poorly controlled, higher glucose levels in the mouth fluids will encourage the growth of bacteria that can cause gum disease.
{“Diabetes and Periodontal (Gum) Disease,” Methodist Health Care System, Houston, Texas, www.methodisthealth.com - June 2003}
Heart Disease
Indigestion is a trigger for heart problems. Chronic indigestion can exacerbate pre-existing heart problems like arrhythmia, angina and atrial fibrillation. Indigestion, whether it is in the form of nausea, abdominal pain or excessive gas in the stomach or intestine, is a signal that your body is struggling to break down fats, proteins, carbohydrates or even alcohol. When this happens, blood is shunted to your "gut" organs to aid digestion. This leaves less blood and oxygen for the heart, making it more vulnerable to ischemia (lack of blood flow) and arrhythmias (irregular heart beats). A stagnant bowel puts an added stress on the heart.
{"Chronic Indigestion Fuels Heart Problems," DrSinatra.com - Oct. 2002} Editor's comment: Alcohol is an irritant to the digestive tract, slows down the speed of digestion, and increases the amount of stomach acid, often causing gastritis. Alcohol can also weaken or loosen the sphincter which allows the stomach contents to flow back into the esophagus, resulting in GERD, and can cause leaky gut syndrome. The resulting chronic indigestion from the use of alcohol can contribute to pre-existing heart problems.
Obese people have higher levels of free radicals (substances in the body that damage cells) than do thin people. An oversupply of free radicals known as “oxidative stress” is thought to contribute to heart disease. This study by the Boston University School of Medicine, was in the March 2003 issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
{“Why Is Obesity Hard on Health?” AARP Bulletin, May 2003} Editor's comment: Alcohol produces free radicals, which promotes oxidative stress, and subsequently contributes heart disease.
Other Issues
Alcohol, like tobacco, is a drug and no less dangerous because it is legal. Light or moderate alcohol consumption is harmful, just as light or moderate use of tobacco is harmful. Many studies show the benefits from the nicotine in tobacco but, like alcohol, the risks and dangers outweigh any supposed benefits. There are safer, more effective, and longer lasting ways to improve or maintain one’s health, such as exercise, proper diet and meditation - without the added risks of alcohol!
People who are overweight are at risk for incontinence.
{American Urogynecologic Society. Oct. 2002} Author’s comment: Alcohol use is a negative for both.
Snoring more than doubles the incidences of headaches.
{Jeanetta Rains, PhD, Clinical Director, Center for Sleep Evaluation, Manchester, New Hampshire, Bottom Line Health, March 2002} Editor's comment: The use of alcohol increases the risk of snoring, which in turn contributes to headaches.
Almost two-thirds of Americans fail to get enough sleep. Too little sleep reduces
levels of the muscle-building human growth hormone, as well as prolactin, a hormone that insures proper immune system functioning. Thus, sleep-related hormone imbalances could result in memory problems, more body fat, and higher susceptibility to infections. At night the body and brain need to reestablish their energy. According to researchers at the Harvard Medical School, people who get inadequate sleep are operating their brains on a metabolically depleted level. They may think they are okay but they are not, and continual undermining of the body’s rejuvenating process may hasten aging. Alcohol impairs sleep.
{“Wake Up To the Need For Sleep,” San Francisco Examiner, June 7, 1998, excerpted from Spectrum magazine, on GaryNull.com - April 2003} Editor's comment: Alcohol use is not only a negative for sleep, but for body fat and immune function.