Nutrition Expert and Lead Project Manager @ inav | Health Research Project Management
🍷🚫 The Metabolic Effects of #alcohol 🚫🍷 Alcohol occupies a special place in our society. Meeting with friends, having a great dinner, or celebrating success is always associated with the consumption of alcohol. It's interesting to note that some people, especially fitness enthusiasts and body-conscious, drink alcohol more often. However, I would like to briefly explain that this is one of the worst cell poisons and shed light on its negative impacts on #metabolism, #aging, and #bodyweight. Understanding these factors can help us make informed choices about our #alcoholconsumption. 🤔💡 🔬 Metabolism Process: When we consume alcohol, our body prioritizes its metabolism above other nutrients. Most of the alcohol is metabolized in the liver. There, enzymes convert it into acetaldehyde, a #toxic substance, which is further processed into acetic acid and eventually eliminated from the body. Now, let's delve into the not-so-pleasant effects alcohol can have on our metabolism: 📉🔔 1️⃣ Impaired #Nutrient #absorption : Alcohol consumption hinders the body's ability to absorb essential nutrients like #vitamins (especially B-vitamins , D and A and #minerals (zinc, selen). This can lead to deficiencies, affecting various metabolic processes and overall health. In particular, zinc and selen are crucial co-factor of #antioxidative enzymes. 2️⃣ Disrupted Fat Metabolism: Alcohol is calorie-dense and devoid of nutritional value. Excessive alcohol intake can disrupt the body's ability to burn fat, causing alteration in #AMPK metabolism, making it easier for the body to store excess fat, leading to weight gain and obesity-related complications. In particular, the increase of visceral fat mass is a typical signature. 3️⃣ Slowed Metabolic Rate: Alcohol consumption can lower the body's metabolic rate, making it more challenging to burn calories efficiently. This metabolic slowdown can hinder weight loss efforts and contribute to weight gain over time. 4️⃣ Accelerated Aging: Alcohol consumption, particularly in excess, can accelerate the aging process. It promotes oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to cellular damage and premature aging due to alteration within the oxidative system. This can manifest through the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and other age-related signs. 5️⃣ Increased Risk of #Metabolic #disorders : Consistent heavy drinking or chronic alcohol abuse can increase the risk of developing metabolic disorders such as fatty liver disease, #insulinresistance, and type 2 diabetes as well as #obesity . These conditions can have severe implications for overall health and well-being. Like for everything- Moderation is key! My friends know,I like to end the week with a good glass of wine or an Aperol Spritz. Prefer quality over quantity! 🌟 A balanced lifestyle and healthy habits contribute to long-term well-being. 🌟 #nutritionaltherapy #personalizednutrition
Schahin Fotouri
11mo
Thank you, Dorothea, for your comments about the effects of alcohol. Some weeks ago i was listening to a radio program in " Deutschlandfunk" that the Canadian health authority recommends the consumption of 0,0% of alcohol due to it's scientifically proven negative effects on cancer and vascular diseases. During the interview with a german doctor the radio moderator asked him, why the german medical society recommends " a half glass of wine per day ( or one glass each 2 days)", if the scientists came to these clear damaging results? The answer from the doctor: " if we would officially recommend to the people a zero consumption of alcohol, nobody would follow our recommendations, so we recommend something which harms the health even if they drink half a glass per day"... It seems to be, that we still kill the messenger, if he tells us the uncomfortable truth. Anyway:" it's up to each of us to be informed and to take decisions ". And to be honest: for me it's more difficult to run my chocolate level to zero than reducing alcohol to zero. We are humans. Best regards from Hamburg. Schahin Fotouri
Mario Ost
11mo
🙏🏼 Dorothea Actually one of my favorite cytokines, FGF21, might play an important role in the physiological response to alcohol consumption, at least there’s strong evidence from studies in 🐭 👉🏼https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666379122000854 and very recently ✌🏼 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(23)00041-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1550413123000414%3Fshowall%3Dtrue Interestingly, obesity is discussed as an FGF21-resistent state. Obese subjects therefore could lack an endogenous brake via impaired FGF21 signaling from liver to the brain 🧠, which might trigger higher alcohol consumption or alcohol „appetite“ and worsen metabolic syndrome?! Vicious cycle 😱
You are the best 💫 I was just preparing a similar post 🙈🥂
Stefan OW
11mo
Dorothea Portius, Prof. Dr. danke für das "Wachrütteln", weil #Alkohol & #Zigaretten leider immer noch akzeptierte "Drogen" sind (der Staat verdient fleißig mit an den Steuern...) und gleichzeitig die Menschen sich nicht bewusst machen, welche Langzeitschäden diese "Gifte" auf den Körper haben...die Dosis macht das Gift und genau hier liegt das Problem: zu viel ist schädlich! 😬
Dr. Julian Wichmann
11mo
Me in med school: „The citric acid cycle is probably not real and can‘t hurt you.“ This post: The basic meaning of life is the citric acid cycle and its relationship with alcohol. 😅
Andine Wahlmann
11mo
sad but true 🤷🏼♀️
Klaus Praster
11mo
👏👏👏!
Nationalspieler & Keynote Speaker - Nutze die Parallelen zwischen Profisport und Unternehmenswelt zu deinem Vorteil
11moIch finde es interessant, dass wenn wir uns etwas gönnen bzw. für etwas belohnen, dann greifen wir zu Lebensmitteln, die uns nicht gut tun. Zum Beispiel Alkohol oder produziertes Essen. Klar, der Körper kann damit umgehen und es auch wegstecken, wenn es nicht zu regelmäßig oder zu viel konsumiert wird. Doch die Frage ist, warum wir uns nicht mit etwas förderlichem belohnen? Einem leckeren Salat. Einer guten Nacht Schlaf. Einem Spazier- oder Saunagang. Einem Tee oder Workout. Ein solcher Perspektivwechsel hilft mir, Alkohol und produziertes Essen zu limitieren. Wenn ich es esse/trinke, dann entscheide ich mich bewusst dafür und genieße es dann auch bewusst.