For some reason, each of us does not recognize the concept of beer alcoholism. Beer is considered a low-alcohol beverage, and there is no tradition to worry about its systematic consumption. However, that is precisely the malicious cunning of this seemingly harmless drink.
To drink beer, you don’t need a reason, a friendly company, or even a special place to look for. Bought a beer after a working day and drank it at home in front of the TV. Scientists and doctors studying the problem of alcoholism believe that beer is the worst alcoholic beverage of all possible. AdmiGram.com explains why they think so.
10 reasons why beer is the worst drink
Impact on all directions
© Mark Broadhead / Unsplash
With regular consumption of this hoppy drink, the volume of circulating fluid increases, putting an additional load on the heart and kidneys. All this, in the long run, leads to the development of serious pathologies. With beer abuse, the heart becomes flabby, “sags,” irreversibly losing the functions of a “living engine.” Heartbeats become more frequent, arrhythmia occurs.
Physical exertion becomes increasingly difficult, shortness of breath appears. In addition, with regular consumption of the foamy drink, the glands located in the stomach walls and producing gastric juice first produce a lot of mucus and then atrophy. Digestion becomes incomplete, food stagnates, or undigested food enters the intestines.
Magic bubbles
Beer saturated with carbon dioxide is quickly absorbed. The yeast base, sugar, and carbon dioxide seem to “inflate” the blood vessels, provoking varicose vein expansion.
High pressure
Beer affects blood pressure, and most beer alcoholics have arterial hypertension, with a high risk of vascular catastrophes: strokes, heart attacks.
Bovine heart
Inflammatory processes in the esophagus and stomach, as well as the expansion of the heart chambers, thickening of its walls, the development of fatty tissue, and necrosis in the heart muscle (this phenomenon is called “beer heart syndrome” in medical practice) are associated with cobalt – a stabilizer in beer foam that displaces calcium from the heart muscle.
Farewell, sanity
Surprisingly, brain cells in beer alcoholics are affected more severely than in ordinary alcohol enthusiasts. Love beer? Be prepared for cognitive disruptions and changes in your mental state.
Hormonal changes
© Yasin Arıbuğa / Unsplash
Beer contains phytoestrogen, a plant analog of the female sex hormone progesterone. It comes into the drink from hop cones, used to give beer its specific bitter taste. Therefore, systematic consumption of the beverage disrupts the endocrine system. In men, beer suppresses testosterone production.
Against this background, female hormones begin to dominate, causing changes in a man’s appearance: a decrease in body and facial hair, a decrease in muscle mass, an increase in breast tissue, a change in voice tone, the appearance of a “beer belly,” and the accumulation of fat on the hips and waist. In women, on the contrary, the voice becomes coarser, “beer mustaches” appear, and the likelihood of breast cancer increases proportionally to the amount of beer consumed.
Loss of valuable trace elements
Beer contains ions of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, and chlorine. The intake of potassium and water increases urine formation and enhances the excretion of sodium and chlorine by the kidneys, eventually washing proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and trace elements out of the body.
Risk of serious illnesses
Unlike wine, the low content of natural antioxidants (polyphenols) in beer increases the risk of developing malignant tumors in the lower urinary tract.
Liver damage
Abuse of the hoppy beverage can contribute to the development of inflammatory processes and even lead to hepatitis. Moreover, chronic beer hepatitis can proceed in a hidden form, without pronounced symptoms. If not stopped in time, one can even develop cirrhosis of the liver from beer.
Obesity
Sumo wrestlers regularly consume beer for rapid weight gain. The problem is that many of them, due to obesity, may not live even up to 50 years.
image on top: Yasin Arıbuğa / Unsplash
