Is Alcohol Good or Bad? What does it do ?

What alcohol does to your mind and body?

The immediate effects of alcohol on the human body are fairly apparent, but have you ever thought about the other side-effects? We don't just mean headaches and nausea - alcohol is thought to be highly calorific and can pose long term threats to our health.

• Why does alcohol seem to make me put on weight?
• What are the good and bad effects?
• New research about alcohol

Why does alcohol seem to make me put on weight?

It's just a question of maths! Approximately 3,500 calories will produce one pound of fat. Alcohol is full of calories, so, two or three G

&Ts a day for four weeks will fatten you up by about 4lbs.

Drink	Number of calories
1 pint of beer or lager	180 - 300
1 vodka and orange	140
1 gin and tonic	140
1 whisky and dry ginger	145
1 rum and coke	145
1 glass of white wine	85

Even worse news is that alcohol has no essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

What are the good and bad effects?

Alcohol affects everyone's health in different ways - but the good things are still outweighed by the bad.

Mind and emotions

Alcohol is a drug that depresses the brain. We all know the cheeriness that can come with the first drink, but alcohol can actually cause severe depression. 'Letting go', another effect which can initially be pleasant, gets some of us into difficulties, because when our petty or angry side gets exaggerated by alcohol, friendships or marriages can be threatened.

Does alcohol improve sex? Alcohol can certainly increase our desire and, by reducing tension, enhance our enjoyment. In men however, large doses of alcohol block the nerves necessary for erection. If this happens once or twice, a man can become worried about his sexual ability - which is a sure way to impair erections from then on - unless confidence is re-established with a sympathetic partner. In addition, the loss of inhibition that accompanies alcohol intake can lead to a failure to consider the need to practice safe sex, by using a condom. Not using a condom has potentially devastating consequences - whether it be an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia or HIV.

Hidden physical effects

Some effects of alcohol on the body are obvious - such as a deterioration in complexion, and the nausea and headache that can accompany a hangover. However, if you are a heavy drinker, think about what you are doing to the parts of your body that you can't see. Liver disease is one of the more common diseases linked with a high alcohol intake - it can cause varicose veins in the stomach lining which may have been swelling up due to liver blockage to suddenly burst, and the bleeding can be very difficult to stop. Only a blood test can really reveal when the liver is under strain.

New research about alcohol

According to some research studies, a moderate alcohol intake (one drink per day) is associated with less risk of heart disease. This applies to all forms of alcohol and not simply to red wine, as is popularly believed. So, should someone start drinking just to reduce the risk of heart disease? This question is commonly posed to doctors. The answer is still no: there are many ways to powerfully reduce the risk of heart disease, and alcohol should probably not be used as a medication. However, this is an important individual issue and you should discuss it with your Doctor. Researchers also believe that all types of alcohol reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (at least in part) by reducing serum levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Alcohol also raises the HDL (good) cholesterol, which could play some role in protecting against heart disease. And, red wine is thought to have some beneficial antioxidant properties - but again, this is a topic of some debate..

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Source: http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/healthy_living/lifestyle/alcohol/alcohol3.html