Drink and Drugs News DDN Alcohol and Health | Seite 3

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY
One gram of alcohol contains seven calories, which means that a single UK unit
contains 56 calories – as alcohol has no nutritional value these are known as
‘empty calories’. While many alcoholic drinks are highly calorific, public awareness
remains low, which is why some health organisations have been campaigning for
compulsory calorie information on alcohol labelling – one pint of 4 per cent ABV
beer or a 250ml glass of wine contain 180 calories each. People are also more likely
to eat unhealthy, highly calorific foods while under the influence of alcohol, further
increasing the likelihood of weight gain.
BRAIN DAMAGE AND DEMENTIA
Regular heavy drinking above recommended levels – particularly in the form of
binge drinking – increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other
common forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia. Long-term drinking at
harmful levels, meanwhile, can lead to a deficiency in vitamin B1 (thiamine) which
the body uses to build blood vessels in the brain – deficiency causes the vessels to
leak and damage surrounding brain tissue. Alcohol-related brain damage is an
umbrella term that covers a number of conditions, including ‘alcoholic dementia’
and Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome – while these are not technically types of
dementia, they share symptoms such as impaired memory or thinking.
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
Alcohol acts as an irritant to the digestive system and increases the stomach’s
production of acid, which can cause inflammation of the stomach lining known as
gastritis, while heavy drinking can be a cause of acid reflux and, over a prolonged
period, peptic ulcers. Chronic alcohol consumption also alters the composition of
bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the number of beneficial bacteria
and allowing an increase in unhealthy bacteria.
MALNUTRITION AND VITAMIN DEFICIENCY
Alcohol also reduces the pancreas’s production of the digestive enzymes that help
to break down carbohydrates and fat, making it harder for the body to absorb vital
nutrients such as proteins and vitamins.
OSTEOPOROSIS
Alcohol’s effect on the pancreas also inhibits the body’s ability to absorb calcium
and vitamin D, both essential for bone health. This makes heavy drinking a risk
factor for osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones and makes them more
likely to break.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Alongside its potential damage to the liver and other organs, alcohol can also have
an impact on the immune system, affecting the number, function and survival of
the body’s immune cells. This can put people at increased risk of contracting viral
and bacterial infections – according to WHO there is a ‘causal relationship’
between harmful drinking and ‘incidence of infectious diseases such as
tuberculosis as well as the course of HIV/AIDS’. Alcohol-related liver damage also
increases the body’s susceptibility to bacterial infection.
ALCOHOL POISONING
Alcohol poisoning is a potentially fatal condition that occurs when a person drinks
a dangerous quantity of alcohol, usually over a short period such as in binge
drinking episodes. In severe cases people can choke on, or inhale, their vomit, or
have seizures or heart attacks.
OTHER ISSUES
To this wide range of physical and mental health conditions can be added acute
incidents such as alcohol-related injuries and accidents, including those caused by
drink driving. Alcohol is also a significant contributory factor to domestic violence
and violent crime generally – the Annual Crime Survey for England and Wales
records that almost half of the victims of violent incidents perceived the offenders
to be under the influence of alcohol.
Alcohol misuse can also lead to financial, employment and housing problems as
well as relationship difficulties and parenting issues – it is estimated that around
200,000 children in England are currently living wi