Which alcohol is safer for the body?

Almost no party is complete without alcohol. But everything should be in moderation; a small dose of alcoholic beverages will be helpful and will lift your mood. Some types of alcohol are safer than others. The main thing is that they do not contain methyl alcohol, as this leads to disastrous consequences.

Classification of the dangers of alcohol

Any food product that contains at least 1. 5% ethyl alcohol is alcoholic. Ethanol drinks are classified according to the level of C2H5OH, the type of raw materials used, the type of production and aging criteria.

From the presence of alcohol:

• low content - beer, wine;
• high - vodka, cane rum, gin, wheat whiskey, grape brandy and more.

All drinks are produced from different types of raw materials.

The first can be divided as follows

• grape-based - cognac, wine, Italian grappa;
• grains - whiskey, beer groups, vodka;
• fruits and berries – Calvados apples, liqueurs, liqueurs;
• herbal - balsam, rum, mexican tequila, absinthe.

Each alcoholic beverage product has its own ethanol content.

The presence of the latter can be divided as follows:

• high - from 67 to 96% of the volume of the container;
• normal - from 31 to 66;
• average - from 9 to 30;
• low - from 1. 5 to 9.

The last line includes everyone's favorite beer, low-alcohol national products, kvass, palm toddy, shandy.

Beverages with medium ethanol content are represented by wines, mulled wine, punch and mead.

The highest step is occupied by vodka, armagnac, tequila, rum, absinthe and other intoxicating liquids. Drinking ethyl alcohol is in the leading position. The volume of alcohol reaches 95%.

It is believed that the main harm to health is caused by the degree of drinking, however, consumption of weak products containing alcohol can cause harm no less than strong ones.

Characteristics of less harmful alcohol

Judgments about intoxicating liquids vary considerably. Some nutritionists claim that drinking the beverage is beneficial, while others say it is harmful to health.

The criteria for the least harmful alcohol are as follows:

1. The degree of its quality.
2. Amount of ethanol.
3. Flavoring additives.
4. Performance.

According to medical experts, vodka is considered less harmful to health. Of course, this condition is met with minimal use.

This conclusion is due to the following factors:

• low amount of calories included;
• absence of harmful carbonyl group;
• the simplicity of an alcoholic liquid - water with alcohol.

A high-quality product consumed almost never causes a hangover. But this does not mean that you can drink vodka without measure. To prevent poisoning, the snack should be fatty food.

However, experts characterize genuine grape wines as the least safe alcohol for the liver. The fruits of the bush have no harmful residues. If you do not separate the skins from the berries, you get a red wine variety, known to be healthier.

This is due to the fact that the vitamins contained in the shell pass into the liquid alcoholic medium, saturating the body with trace elements and nitrogenous organic compounds.

Antioxidants improve the functioning of the circulatory system and renew cells. Wine is successfully used to extract an extract from it, which is used to make injections and various cosmetic products.

Negative effects on the human body

The negative impact of alcoholic beverages is manifested in the following:

Organs exposed to alcohol and diseases that can occur under the influence of alcoholic beverages

1. Intoxication disrupts the flow of oxygen to the brain, causing brain cells to die. Encephalopathy develops, the changes are irreversible.
2. The cardiovascular system is affected. Pathologies develop: ischemic and hypertensive, cardiomyopathy. In some people, alcohol addiction causes an enlarged heart.
3. The breathing rate increases, tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis develop.
4. The functions of the digestive system are disrupted, because the mucosa receives the effect of the poison. Patients are diagnosed with gastritis and peptic ulcer. Alcohol destroys the liver, causes cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatosis.
5. Excretory function disorders appear. Alcohol is harmful to the kidneys, because under the influence of alcohol their epithelium is destroyed.
6. Endocrine glands are affected. Almost half of people suffering from alcoholism have decreased sexual function. Against this background, neuroses, depression and other disorders of the central nervous system arise. In women, the menstrual cycle is interrupted, menopause occurs prematurely, and gestosis and abortions are possible during pregnancy.
7. The skin and muscle tissue are depleted and various dermatological diseases appear.
8. Hematopoietic processes are disturbed, lymphocyte production decreases and allergic reactions appear.
9. Mental abnormalities occur: convulsions, hallucinations, partial loss of sensation in the limbs.

The most severe form of intoxication is delirium tremens.Even timely treatment may not bring results. The patient stops being oriented in time and space, his pulse quickens, his blood pressure rises and in some cases his temperature rises.

Regular alcohol consumption reduces life expectancy, leads to premature aging and disability.

Does the damage depend on the degree of alcohol?

The alcohol content determines the time it takes for the alcohol to leave the body. The lower this indicator, the less harm the drink will bring to a person.

For this reason, products with a high amount of ethanol are considered the most dangerous.

How to choose the least harmful alcohol

The choice of less dangerous alcoholic beverages should be based on criteria that determine the level of harmful effects on the human body. These criteria include:

• quality (manufacturer, compliance with established safety requirements, conditions of bottles, transport and storage);
• strength (the amount of ethyl alcohol in the composition);
• availability of flavoring additives and their range;
• the rate of absorption of alcohol into the blood.

A properly chosen alcoholic drink will cause minimal harm to the body and prevent the development of serious pathologies and hangover syndrome.

How harmful are low-quality raw materials?

The main toxic effect on the human body is acetaldehyde (a product of the breakdown of ethyl alcohol). This substance is present in all alcoholic beverages and is harmful to health.Expensive products made from the highest quality raw materials are considered the least harmful.The low cost is due to insufficient purification of the composition from fusel oils.

Even home-made wines and moonshine, made from purified water and quality products, are more harmful than store-bought ones. It is impossible to properly clean raw materials without the necessary equipment and technology. When choosing alcohol, you should give preference to drinks that do not contain synthetic ingredients.

What is the difference between expensive and cheap alcohol?

There is an opinion that the harm of alcohol is the same, regardless of the quality and cost of the drink. But there is a difference between cheap low-quality alcohol and an expensive "elite" product.

A low price indicates that cheap and low-quality raw materials were used in production. This affects the composition of alcoholic beverages and also worsens the consequences of its use.

Manufacturers who respect safety standards and care about the quality of the finished product use more expensive raw materials and complex cleaning processes. This certainly affects the price in terms of its increase.

The world of spirits

To find out which alcoholic drink is the most harmless, you need to learn about the types of alcohol. The most common classification is the classification of alcohol according to strength:

Distribution	Flick
strong alcohol	brandy, whiskey, ethyl alcohol (medicinal), sambuca, rum, vodka, absinthe, tequila, gin, cognac
medium strength drink	vermouth, wines of all kinds, liqueurs, cider, martinis, punch, grog
low alcohol (and carbonated)	ale, beer products, sparkling wines and champagne

Many ordinary people talk about the harm of alcohol based on its degree. And they believe that the weaker the alcohol, the safer it is.Based on this reasoning, we can say that the most harmless alcohol is beer or champagne. This is a big mistake.

The harm of alcohol does not depend on its degree. Even weak alcoholic drinks can provoke the development of alcoholism in a person.

A few years ago, Canadian scientists conducted a series of experiments that showed that most people do not suffer from strong alcohol. In the vast majority of cases, alcohol addiction was caused by light alcohol, which was drunk in large quantities and continuously. This caused rapid addiction and subsequent health problems.

Alcohol is destructive to all internal systems and organs

So what is it, the safest alcohol, where to look for alcohol that you can drink with peace of mind, regardless of future health problems? We can say right away: there is no absolutely safe alcohol; any drink containing ethyl alcohol is classified a priori as dangerous and destructive. But there is a list compiled by scientists that ranks alcoholic beverages according to the harm they cause. Check out this review.

First place: alcoholic energy drink

In the spring of 2017, the world became familiar with the data of a long-term study organized and conducted by Canadian scientists.According to their research, the greatest danger to humans is mixing ethanol with various energy drinks or ready-made canned alcoholic cocktails.. In addition to the well-known harm from alcohol, these drinks bring to their fans:

1. Attacks of aggressive behavior.
2. Suicide attempts, most of which are successful.
3. Increased rate of injuries. Fans of alcoholic energy cocktails were more likely to be involved in traffic accidents compared to fans of "cleaner" alcohol.

Alcoholic energy drinks are considered the most dangerous drinks for health.

Scientists have found an explanation for this. Caffeine, which is necessarily included in the composition of such alcohol, has a relaxing effect on the body and suppresses the sedative effect of ethanol. As a result, a drunk person not only does not understand the fact of intoxication himself, but also does not account for his actions, considering them to be completely appropriate.

Continuous consumption of alcoholic energy drinks is associated with dizziness, weakness, loss of consciousness and memory problems. Sometimes a person who has committed a crime due to intoxication with this product, after being intoxicated, is unable to remember what he did and where he was. Alcoholic energy drinks rightfully occupy an honorable first place in the ranking of the most dangerous alcoholic products.

Second place: alcoholic cocktails

There is a huge army of fans of various delicious cocktails that are prepared using alcohol. They drink them regularly at parties, cafes and clubs. It is very difficult to convince them about the dangers of such a hobby. Can such light and aromatic cocktails be harmful? But in fact, they take second place in the ranking of the most dangerous alcohol.

The harm of alcoholic cocktails lies in their composition

The issue is in their composition. Indeed, in addition to alcohol, ingredients include sodas, soft drinks, liqueurs, syrups and juices. These ingredients, when mixed with each other, create a dangerous mixture that:

• is immediately absorbed into the blood;
• provokes severe intoxication;
• increased concentration of sugar in the body;
• leads to a severe hangover;
• significantly increase the load on almost all internal organs.

All body systems begin to work in emergency mode: the liver neutralizes ethanol, while at the same time actively absorbing glucose. The kidneys try to quickly remove toxic toxins from the body, and the work of the pancreas is activated. And the heart increases its rhythm, trying to ensure normal blood flow to actively working organs.

Even a small glass of alcoholic cocktail brings three times the burden on the body. The more such drinks a person drinks, the stronger his hangover syndrome will appear.

Third place: champagne and sparkling wines

Produced with careful observance of the technological process, high-quality champagne will not cause much harm to the body if you drink it in the volume of a glass. But the passion for this drink will turn him into a terrible monster. The explanation is as follows:

1. Fine champagne contains a large amount of sugar. It has an extremely negative effect on the functioning and condition of the liver and pancreas.
2. Once in the gastrointestinal tract, this drink leads to the development of rapid decay processes, including undigested food residues. Champagne owes such processes to the carbon dioxide it contains.

Good champagne will do no harm if you drink no more than one glass.

Large volumes of this pleasant and light alcohol can cause severe poisoning in a person. Sparkling wines work the same way. A mixture of ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide can knock out even a strong and large man in a short time.

Fourth place: beer

An extremely popular drink, enjoyed by men and women in equal quantities.But in the meantime, this aromatic foam is very dangerous because of the rapid addiction and development of beer alcoholism.. Dangerously frothy and with a heavy dose of phytoestrogens, which hop cones are rich in.

Phytoestrogens contained in beer are plant analogues of female sex hormones. These compounds are extremely dangerous for both sexes. They contribute to serious disruption of the hormonal system.

Unfortunately, narcologists now diagnose beer alcoholism much more often than the addiction caused by hard drinks. Unfortunately, unaware of the dangers of beer, people begin to become addicted to it in their teens, damaging their health. It is much more difficult to get rid of beer alcoholism than from other types of addiction.

Regular consumption of beer leads to the rapid development of beer alcoholism

Long-term and continuous addiction to alcoholic beverages leads to the following disorders:

• "Live" beer, considered the "cleanest", has a high calorie content and quickly causes obesity;
• inhibits the production of natural sex hormones, which has a negative impact on the functioning of the reproductive system;
• provokes global changes in the thickness and structure of the myocardium (heart muscle), this provokes the development of numerous cardiac pathologies.

Moreover, the harmful effect does not depend on the brand or brand of beer. This drink is dangerous in any case, regardless of the variety and production process. There is no safe beer in nature.

5th place: cognac

According to scientists, the most harmless is the purest alcoholic drink, i. e. without unnecessary additives. It is easier for the body to deal with such alcohol, which lacks other components, because less effort is spent on neutralizing aggressive components. Cognac is the least harmful alcohol. Plus, it can also bring some benefits:

• Stabilizes high blood pressure;
• Stops the pathogenic activity of viruses.

Cognac has the ability to stabilize blood pressure, but only with moderate and rare consumption

But a good cognac can be distinguished from such talents, provided that it is consumed minimally and rarely. It is believed that the safe dose of this strong alcohol does not exceed 50 g.

6th place: liqueurs

This alcohol is much safer than a low-alcohol number. Liqueurs do not contain carbon dioxide and are traditionally consumed in small doses.Their only and important drawback is the high sugar content.. It is for this reason that aromatic and tasty liqueurs should not be consumed by people suffering from diabetes and prone to rapid weight gain.

The disadvantages of liqueur include a large amount of sugar in the composition.

7th place: summers

With moderate and competent consumption of red and rose wines, they can also be considered medicinal. But such a statement is valid only in relation to natural wine alcohol made from grape fermentation. True, in some people predisposed to allergic manifestations, red wine can provoke allergic attacks.

Women are recommended to drink good red wine (in strictly limited quantities), as this alcohol is rich in antioxidants that prevent aging of the body.

Wine can be beneficial only if consumed wisely

By the way, when considering the question of which alcohol is less harmful to the liver, doctors choose good and natural wine. Grape juice is fully fermented. When the seeds and the remains of the peel remain in it, the result is red wine, which becomes the basis for winemaking.

These wines have the least destructive power for the liver. They are also the most useful for the body, since all the most valuable substances from the skin and seeds of the fruit are transferred to the composition of the wine.

8th place: vodka

According to the unanimous opinion of doctors, vodka, our legendary drink, which is now considered a national treasure, is the safest.But also insidious, because we can talk about benefits only if the quality of alcohol is high and its consumption is minimal..

Vodka is considered the safest of all types of alcohol, but its regular consumption leads to the development of alcoholism

Doctors, speaking about the safety of vodka, explain their words with the following qualities of this strong alcohol:

• the minimum amount of calories;
• complete lack of carbohydrates;
• purity of ingredients, vodka consists of a mixture of water and alcohol.

By the way, high-quality vodka almost never leads to a severe hangover. But that doesn't mean you can drink it without a snack. Good and fatty food is a mandatory addition to this alcohol.

Consequences of drinking alcoholic beverages

The consequences of drinking alcoholic beverages are divided into short-term, which appear within a few hours after drinking, and long-term, which are felt after a long period of systematic libations.

The main short-term consequence is a state of intoxication, which is accompanied by changes in metabolic processes, disorders in the functioning of the brain, vestibular apparatus and stress in all body systems.

Symptoms of alcohol intoxication vary depending on the concentration of ethanol in the blood, among them are:

• Confusion of speech and consciousness;
• decreased hearing and vision, hallucinations;
• adhesion of red blood cells and, as a result, anemia;
• drowsiness;
• vomiting, diarrhea, nausea;
• headache, tinnitus;
• difficulties in natural physiological processes (breathing, urination, etc. );
• memory loss;
• attacks of aggression, euphoria, sudden changes in mood.

While intoxicated, people are more likely to suffer domestic injuries, be involved in traffic accidents, and engage in sexual violence or other forms of physical aggression.

In the long term, people who systematically drink alcoholic beverages develop a lasting addiction. This negatively affects both human health and social and living conditions.

Alcoholics face various physiological problems, but most often with:

• pathologies of internal organs, chronic intoxication of the body;
• spinal cord injuries, atrophic heart disease, stroke;
• throat, stomach, liver and colon cancer;
• hormonal disorders;
• erectile dysfunction, infertility, early menopause, etc. ;
• lack of B vitamins, calcium and zinc.

These problems are a consequence of the behavioral characteristics of a person addicted to alcohol, who tends to lead an antisocial lifestyle.

Social problems such as:

• crisis in relationships with family, friends, colleagues;
• difficulties in finding employment and work;
• tendency to violence, aggressive behavior;
• the formation of mental pathologies, among which there are severe psychoses, personality disorders and manic states.

Impact speed

According to the speed of impact, all alcoholic beverages can be divided into two types:

"fast"	This includes strong alcohol (400 and above), such as vodka, tequila, absinthe, etc.
"slowly"	Low-alcohol cocktails, champagne, beer and wine have a slow action.

Despite the fact that intoxication from vodka occurs faster than from beer, the damage to health can be equal. Often a person who prefers low-alcohol drinks is not aware of the amount he drinks.

It cannot be stopped in time, while the amount of ethanol in the body already exceeds the safe limit. The consequence of such irrational behavior is severe intoxication and a severe hangover.

Drinking any alcohol should be accompanied by a snack - this significantly reduces the rate of absorption of alcohol into the blood, and also protects the gastrointestinal tract from the harmful effects of alcohol.

CONCLUSION

The ethyl alcohol in any alcoholic drink is poisonous. However, the liver is capable of processing small amounts of ethanol, completely removing it from the body and protecting vital organs, functions and systems.

Scientists have calculated safe daily doses of different types of alcoholic beverages. These indicators are valid for adults who rarely drink and do not have chronic diseases.

Any amount of alcohol is strictly prohibited:

• persons under 18 years of age;
• pregnant and lactating women, as well as couples planning pregnancy.

Among the variety of types of alcohol, vodka is considered the safest, and energy cocktails are the least safe.

Non-alcoholic beer produced in accordance with beer technology also contains a small amount of ethanol (from 0. 5%), therefore it cannot be considered safe for health and requires restrictions on the volume of consumption.