|
| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
Overindulgence
What is Overindulgence?
Eating and drinking moderately, is probably the basic first habit of good nutrition and an overall healthy lifestyle. The liver plays an important role in the digestive process, as it assists with the digestion of fatty foods as well as the breakdown of alcohol. Moderate amounts of dietary fat and alcohol are well tolerated under normal circumstances. To stay healthy, we actually need to include small amounts of the right types of fats in our diets. However, excessive intake of alcohol and fatty foods may overtax the liver, causing symptoms of overindulgence, such as:
Indigestion •
Feeling bloated •
Feeling tired •
Abdominal tenderness and discomfort •
Nausea •
Vomiting in extreme cases •
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is a drug that has given people pleasure and relaxation for 5000 years. This beverage affects moods, sensations, and behaviour. Taken in moderation, the drink can reduce inhibitions and encourage social interactions. People differ in their tolerance level for alcohol and it is impossible to name an exact amount per day that is ‘allowable’ for everyone. The dietary suggestion to the public is 1-2 small glasses of wine or 1-2 cans of beer per day – but even this is above the recommended dose for drivers these days.
For certain people however, this is not a choice. Unfortunately, many people drink excessively, giving alcohol the distinction of being the most widely abused drug in the world. The body’s outward reaction to alcohol suggests that the drug acts as a stimulant, producing aggressive social behavior such as increased boldness. In fact, alcohol is a depressant that acts to decrease the basic speed of bodily functions, including muscle contractions, speed of reaction time, digestion, and thinking process.
Effects on the Liver
Alcohol is broken down by the liver, raising the liver enzymes and potentially leading to hepatitis (liver inflammation). 95% of alcohol consumed must be metabolised in the liver; this process requires a lot of work and takes precedence over many other necessary functions, including associations with the cardiovascular system, digestive system, excretory system and metabolism. Fat metabolism is decreased, and fatty build-up can occur in the liver. Alcohol does not convert to glucose or glycogen, but to fat, which may later lead to obesity with high alcohol use. With chronic use, fat continues to be stored in the liver, which causes irritation and eventually swells, scars and damages the liver (the process of Cirrhosis), until only a small percentage is functional. Liver malfunctions can cause various ailments including Hepatitis, Jaundice, Digestive system disorders, and musculoskeletal system problems.
Usually more than half the liver must be destroyed before its work is significantly impaired. Haemorrhoids and varicose veins are commonly a result of liver disease in alcoholics.
Vitamin and mineral interactions show that alcohol diminishes the stores of many of the B vitamins, including vitamin B2 and B6, vitamin A, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, and magnesium. Alcohol consumption impairs the absorption of the enzymes in the liver that activates these vitamins, therefore, it is essential to supplement.
Hangovers
Hangovers represent the very unpleasant side effect of drinking alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates the cells, removes fluid from the blood, swells the cranial arteries, and irritates the gastrointestinal tract. Hangovers are more common with distilled, stronger alcoholic drinks and less so with red wine, champagne, white wine and beer - depending on how much you drink. One theory is that a hangover is primarily an effect of the chemical congeners produced through the formation of fermentation of by-products and the many chemicals used in growing the foods and manufacturing the beverages, although no chemicals and food dyes need be listed on a label. These symptoms, of course, vary according to the degree of alcohol abuse and individual sensitivities.
Whether hangovers include headaches, nausea, dizziness, irritability, and depression or not, also depends upon inherited genetic characteristics. Many of these effects are caused from dehydration, and can be remedied by taking water while drinking, and also large amounts before going to sleep. Fatigue also contributes; getting enough sleep is very important. Raising blood sugar levels with a snack of fruit before bed will also help. Drinking under tense or guilt-ridden circumstances seems to generate the worst hangovers.
Look out for our pocket-sized Milk Thistle 4’s pack, available at your nearest forecourt convenience stores and selected Dis-Chem Pharmacies
(Western Cape only).
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
