Dangerous effect of drinking alcohol. Pay attention to these symptoms

Alcohol is harmful to your health. This is not just a cliche. Alcohol abuse has a detrimental effect on our health. Our liver especially does not like it, which is responsible for about 95 percent of the decomposition of ethanol provided in beer, wine, drinks. It may start with fatty liver, i.e. damage to the organ by fat accumulating in its cells. In many cases, this disease does not cause any discomfort. How to recognize it and how to treat it?

1. Among the negative effects of drinking alcohol are serious liver problems
2. One of them is alcoholic fatty liver disease. Untreated, it leads to cirrhosis or cancer
3. The symptoms of fatty liver include: abdominal discomfort or lack of appetite
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Liver – what is its role in the body?

The liver is an extremely important organ and, compared to other glands, it seems gigantic. In fact, it is the largest of them and at the same time the largest parenchymal organ. 25 percent blood is in this organ. In an adult human, the liver weighs about as much as the brain, which is about 1,5 kg. It can be compared to a factory where metabolic processes take place. It is located in the cage of the ribs that play a protective role, exactly in the upper right part of the abdomen.

The liver works around the clock. If it stopped working, death would be imminent within hours. Why? It’s easy. The liver is responsible for 500 different functions of our body. It produces hormones, proteins, and bile that are essential for digestion. At the same time, it cleanses the body of toxins, including ethanol, i.e. alcohol, it removes obsolete red blood cells. It stores and absorbs vitamins. Moreover, it converts fats and proteins into the fuel necessary for life – carbohydrates. In addition, it manages glucose metabolism – it converts glucose (monosaccharide) into glycogen (polysaccharide) to reverse this process when the demand for glucose in the body increases.

Enemies of the liver – this is what he really does not like

The liver has regenerative abilities. Even after removing parts of it, it can return to its previous size within a few weeks. One of its biggest enemies – which we supply it ourselves – apart from fatty food is alcohol. It is the cause of a third of the diseases of this organ. Among about a hundred diseases that may affect the liver, non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease has been distinguished.

The process of fatty liver in both of these cases is similar. The process of breaking down lipids into fatty acids is disturbed, and excess fat accumulates in the liver tissue. However, in the case of alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol abuse is the cause. It occurs in 90 percent. people who drink more than 60 g of ethanol a day, that is, more than three glasses of 50 ml of vodka or more than two glasses of beer, 0,5 l each. The disease may occur in some patients after several months of alcohol abuse, ie quite quickly. For others, it takes several years. The role here is played, among others, by diet and certain genetic predispositions.

Abstinence as a drug for a diseased liver

Alcoholic fatty liver disease is a chronic disease, but it can be reversed. The drug is abstinence. The positive effects of withdrawal from alcohol can be seen after about 4-6 weeks. However, its further abuse may open a Pandora’s box, because in about 35 percent. patients lead to cirrhosis or hepatitis, but also to neoplastic lesions of this organ.

An enlarged liver can be seen and felt

In many cases, fatty liver causes no symptoms. It is a disease that affects not only people who are heavily addicted to high-percentage drinks. It is worth remembering about this, especially when we do not avoid alcohol and drink it on many occasions.

The first disturbing symptoms may be:

1. abdominal discomfort
2. fatigue
3. loss of weight and appetite
4. feeling of fullness
5. nausea
6. (less often) vomiting
7. reduced physical activity

The enlarged organ can be palpated, for example during a routine GP examination, or seen on ultrasound.

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