The effect of alcohol on blood vessels and the heart. Heart failure and alcohol. Effects of alcohol consumption on the heart
How does alcohol affect the heart?
– sharply negative. Chronic alcohol abuse is a cause of cardiomyopathy. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is more common in men. Symptoms of the disease usually appear after alcohol abuse for more than 10 years. A common primary clinical sign is shortness of breath, often coinciding with symptoms of heart failure. Drinkers may also complain of a cough, especially at night, and describe the onset of a persistent "respiratory" illness as "flu-like" - without any respiratory infection. As the disease progresses, patients quickly become fatigued and complain of chest pain with physical exertion. In these cases, they may be diagnosed with subendocardial myocardial ischemia. Heart failure leads to pulmonary congestion, cardiac arrhythmia, systemic edema, anorexia, and abdominal discomfort.
increases systemic blood pressure regardless of the patient's age, weight, race, and whether the patient smokes or not. There is a dose-dependent effect, changing systolic pressure to a greater extent than diastolic pressure. Even drinking 1-2 drinks a day can raise blood pressure, especially in drinkers with pre-existing hypertension.
Knowledge of the effects of alcohol on the coronary arteries of the heart is deepening. Alcoholics are more likely to develop myocardial infarction despite having normal or minimally narrowed coronary arteries.
Intermittent abnormal heart rhythm and/or conduction usually occurs after drinking large doses of alcohol in patients without clinical evidence of heart disease. These arrhythmias include primarily atrial fibrillation, in addition - atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, numerous atrial extrasystoles or ventricular extrasystoles, atrioventricular paroxysmal tachycardia and ventricular paroxysmal tachycardia. The development of this “feasting heart syndrome” in a patient may serve as a sign of early cardiomyopathy. Although there are usually no residual effects when the condition returns to normal after withdrawal, very severe arrhythmias can cause sudden death. often causes a disturbance in the heart rhythm, and then the death of a drinking person or his disability; such a person is not able to continue to work and perform physical activity that a non-drinker can calmly perform.
: normal ventricles above, and dilated ventricles of the heart due to cardiomyopathy below
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Alcohol consumed regularly by a person in any case affects blood vessels. At the same time, there are quite a lot of opinions, even in the professional medical environment, regarding the negative or positive effects of ethanol in this context.
How does alcohol affect the heart and blood vessels? How serious are the negative consequences for the body as a whole? How to reduce potential harm? You will read about this and much more in our article.
The effect of alcohol on human blood vessels
Fans of alcoholic beverages and ardent opponents are interested in the answer to this question: does alcohol narrow or dilate blood vessels? Numerous studies often show contradictory results, as a result of which even experienced professionals are not always able to clearly define the line between the potential benefits and harms of drinking alcohol for medicinal or recreational purposes.
How are things really going? The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. The process of direct influence of ethanol on blood vessels depends primarily on the dose of alcohol taken, the individual state of health of the person, as well as the initial level of blood pressure in the calm phase.
One interesting fact is worth noting. Despite the fact that many people consider certain types of alcoholic beverages to be more beneficial for blood vessels, this is actually not the case.
Naturally, a high-quality and natural product, for example, good red wine or expensive vodka, in this context is more preferable than low-alcohol drinks of dubious quality, which may contain various dyes, low-quality industrial alcohol, preservatives and other little-known components.
However, after oral ingestion of any alcoholic beverage, pure ethanol enters the bloodstream. It is he who affects the systemic blood flow, penetrates the soft tissues and the brain. The remaining ingredients continue to be processed by the stomach and metabolized by the liver, kidneys, and are also excreted unchanged.
What does science say about the mutual dependence of alcohol and vascular tone? The specific effect of alcohol on the human heart and blood vessels occurs as follows. Immediately after ethanol enters the blood, the vessels temporarily become dilated, mainly arteries and arterioles. The total duration of an effect of this kind varies widely and lasts from a couple of minutes to several hours, since it depends on a huge number of factors, including external weather conditions.
After partial metabolism of alcohol has passed, the body’s cardiovascular system launches self-regulation processes aimed at restoring the primary normal level of blood pressure and pulse. In this situation, a so-called reflex spasm is formed, which is a fairly rapid narrowing of blood vessels. In most cases, the feedback process is more pronounced than the initial expansion under the influence of ethanol.
How can alcohol be beneficial for blood vessels? Numerous worldwide studies in the context of the influence of ethanol on the human body as a whole indicate that the use of strictly limited small doses of products can be an additional component of the comprehensive prevention of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.
What are the boundary standards? Modern doctors generally agree that the optimal dose is one milliliter of pure ethanol per kilogram of adult body weight. Based on these data, it is possible to more or less clearly determine relatively safe standards for the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
There will be no harm to the body if you drink once every few days 50 ml of vodka, 330 ml of beer, one glass of dry red wine, or 30 ml of pure 90 percent alcohol (not together, but any of the proposed drinks).
As you can see, the above-mentioned standards are very modest and in the vast majority of cases people exceed the recommended dosages, sometimes tens of times.
What happens to blood vessels with constant alcohol consumption: consequences and complications
Frequent excessive consumption of any alcoholic beverage can cause a number of pathological consequences for the body, both short-term and long-term. The most common problems:
- Increased heart rate. Excessive alcohol consumption becomes the main cause of the development of tachycardia, which in turn can become dangerous factors for the potential development of myocardial infarction or stroke;
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- Pathological increase in blood pressure. It is well known that when drinking alcohol, the blood vessels first expand, then sharply narrow. In the case of chronic alcoholism, such fluctuations have a clear negative effect on the heart and blood vessels as a whole. So, some patients experience constantly elevated blood pressure levels and also develop hypertension;
- Heart rhythm disturbances. Toxic damage to peripheral vessels can also spread to the main veins and arteries. In parallel with this process, the formation of pathology of the main cardiac muscle occurs with the development of atrial fibrillation, congestive processes and a significant increase in the risk of thromboembolism.
How to reduce harm from alcoholic beverages?
This question worries many people who cannot, for some reason, completely stop drinking alcohol, but understand the danger it poses to the cardiovascular system as a whole. The main advice sounds banal, but is quite simple and clear. You need to drink less.
In any endeavor there must be moderation, and this is especially true for regular consumption of alcoholic beverages. The optimal, of course, would be to drink alcoholic beverages within the established recommended standards, but from a practical point of view, this is almost impossible to do. In any case, try to limit the amount of alcohol you put into your body.
It is advisable to choose the highest quality products, without any foreign impurities or alcohol of unknown origin, and it is best to purchase products with only one component, for example, vodka, wine, cognac, and of the highest possible quality.
Don't forget to eat well and in particular, do not drink alcoholic beverages simultaneously with medications and other components that can enhance the toxic effect of ethanol on human organs and systems (carefully read the instructions and labels for the purchased products).
How alcoholic drinks entered the life of society is, perhaps, a topic for a separate study. Alcohol accompanies a modern person everywhere: a glass of beer with friends, a glass of champagne at a party, a glass of vodka at a barbecue. All these are essential attributes of a fun pastime. How not to miss the moment when the effect of alcohol on the heart becomes unsafe?
Why do we drink alcohol?
Small doses of alcohol give a relaxing effect, your mood rises, and everything bad fades into the background. This is why alcohol is dangerous: temporary euphoria requires continuation, all problems are forgotten, at least for a while. The trouble comes when more and more intoxicants are required to achieve satisfaction. Alcoholism becomes a disease, and it becomes increasingly difficult for a drinker to stop drinking.
The reasons that make your hand reach for the bottle are different:
- Psychological emptiness: death of a loved one, betrayal of a friend or loved one, forced loneliness.
- Excessive nervous stress at work.
- Breaking stereotypes, frustration, depression.
- Family problems.
- The need for self-affirmation.
- Teenagers and young people tend to want to be like everyone else and not stand out in the company.
- Genetic predisposition.
Even if the addiction to alcohol is temporary, this stage does not pass harmlessly to health. Result: heart disease, hypertension, vascular problems.
A small dose is not harmful?
The main component of any alcoholic drink is ethyl alcohol. It begins to enter the blood within 5-7 minutes after administration. The effect of alcohol on the heart depends on the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed. But even a small single dose increases the load on our main organ: vasospasm occurs, and the heart needs to work twice as hard to deliver blood. Your heart rate immediately increases by 10-15%. Smoking that accompanies drinking doubles the load.
After two to three hours, ethyl alcohol penetrates the myocardium. Its toxic effect causes arrhythmia and a temporary decrease in blood pressure occurs. The harmful effects of alcohol quickly pass, the functions of the heart and circulatory system are restored, but the trouble is that the first dose is followed by a second and third.
Heart function with large amounts of alcohol
Large doses of alcohol (or small doses over several hours) cause a hangover. What is this connected with? The effect of alcohol on the heart and blood vessels is manifested in a sustained increase in blood pressure and heart rhythm disturbances due to In addition, ethyl alcohol causes dehydration and thickening of the blood. This is why you really want to drink when you have a hangover. By the way, the folk method of relieving a hangover with brine has scientific confirmation. It is the sour-salty liquid that quickly restores balance. Constant alcohol loads lead to the formation of blood clots and blockages of blood vessels.
Alcohol for heart patients
If completely healthy people begin to feel unwell after drinking excessively, then a diseased heart reacts to alcohol much more seriously. Already 20-60 ml of pure alcohol pose a threat to the core.
Large and frequent drinking sessions further provoke an increase in blood pressure, the risk of heart attacks and strokes increases, and the development of concomitant diseases increases. More than 30 percent of sudden cardiac arrests are associated with pathology caused by alcohol consumption.
Alcoholic heart
Long-term and heavy consumption of alcohol leads to gradual deformation of the human engine. The growth of connective tissues and cavities causes the size of the heart to increase, and accordingly, the strength and speed of its contractions decrease. This is how heart failure, swelling of all organs, hypertension and vascular atherosclerosis develop.
Alcoholic heart disease
The effect of alcohol on the heart is manifested in a number of diseases:
- Coronary artery disease is a very serious disease of the coronary arteries, which cease to sufficiently supply blood to the myocardium. Stages of ischemia: arrhythmia - heart failure - angina pectoris - cardiosclerosis, heart attack - sudden death.
- Atherosclerosis is a vascular disease due to atherosclerotic plaques formed on the walls. The narrowed lumen of blood vessels leads to increased pressure, causing strokes and heart attacks.
- Cardiomyopathy. The increased weight of the heart causes constant arrhythmia, shortness of breath, swelling and cough.
Alcohol and heart medications
Drinkers often, without thinking about the consequences, combine alcohol and medications, including heart medications. This absolutely cannot be done.
- Alcohol inhibits the effect of the drug. This is the best case scenario.
- By dilating blood vessels, alcohol together with a drug of the same effect can lead to acute heart failure. Result: fainting, loss of strength, death.
- Sedatives designed to calm can have the opposite effect: increase excitability or double, triple the effect and “calm” forever.
- The combination of alcohol and cardiovascular or sedative drugs leads to changes in a person's mental state.
Recovery from alcohol
It often happens that alcoholics respond to the admonitions of relatives that they can stop at any moment and will stop drinking someday. Quitting alcohol stops all negative processes in the body, the initial stages of heart failure are restored by a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, exercise and fresh air.
Morphological changes and enlarged heart sizes can never be returned to normal! Dystrophy and thickening of tissue occur after two to three years of drinking. The affected organs do not recover. After completely giving up alcohol, you can slightly restore your metabolism and the functioning of your autonomic system. A person who drinks needs to stop drinking as soon as possible. A return to normal life and restorative therapy can provide joyful moments for many more years.
Beer and heart
The effect of alcohol on the heart is known to many, but since few dare to give up drinking and look like a black sheep in a company, strong alcohol is replaced with beer. There is confidence that this is a weak and therefore completely harmless drink. The “unobtrusive” suggestion of advertising about the benefits of derivative products distracts attention from the fact that the strength of some modern beers reaches 14%. This is more than in dry wines. A bottle of light beer, which some people drink simply to quench their thirst, has an alcohol content equal to 60 grams of vodka. In addition, cobalt is added to the drink to retain beer foam. For lovers of this intoxicating product, the cobalt content in the tissues of the heart muscle exceeds the permissible standards by ten times. Where does this lead? All to the same deformation and proliferation of muscle tissue.
The carbon dioxide that fills the drink also has a negative effect on blood vessels. Excessive overcrowding of blood vessels leads to dilation of the veins and heart. Doctors have such a concept as “beer heart” or “nylon stocking” syndrome. This phenomenon occurs as a result of the excessively expanding size of the myocardium and slowing down its work of pumping blood.
Is alcohol good for you?
Drinkers often attribute their passion for alcoholic beverages to data supposedly confirmed by official medicine about their health benefits. “We don’t drink, but we heal” - this slogan often justifies alcohol abuse. What is really hidden behind this? What do cardiologists say about this?
Interesting data is provided by statistics on the connection between heart disease and alcohol consumption. The performance curve is U-shaped. That is, the smallest percentage of heart disease is observed among those who take alcohol, but in very small doses. The following standards are considered normal: for an adult male, a harmless daily dose consists of 60-70 grams of vodka, or 200-250 ml of dry wine, or 300-350 ml of beer. Women's standards are three times less than men's.
In such quantities?
- The concentration of “bad” cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels decreases, and accordingly, the risk of atherosclerosis decreases.
- Small doses of alcohol promote the production of “good” cholesterol, which displaces “bad” cholesterol from the body.
- Dry wines have bactericidal properties.
- Red wines help increase hemoglobin levels in the blood.
Why don't doctors offer alcohol treatment? The fact is that the line between normal and supernormal is very fragile. Most people, after drinking alcohol, simply cease to feel this line, and constant “treatment” turns into But here the effect on the heart and other organs is sharply opposite. Drinking small portions of alcohol, mainly a glass of dry red wine, is recommended for older people if there are no contraindications from hypertension or diabetes.
Think before you fill your glasses and be healthy!
It should be immediately noted that alcohol is a poison for the cells of the body. And naturally, the heart will not be an exception here. However, the harmful effect of ethyl alcohol on the main internal organ of a person is not limited to this.
Science has established that drinking alcohol radically changes the rhythm of the heart for several days at once, and for several hours it literally works at the limit of its capabilities (the time period is determined by the amount of alcohol).
Immediately after drinking alcohol, the pulse increases to 100 beats with a parallel disturbance in the nutrition of the heart muscle. The latter is associated with impaired blood circulation in the capillaries, which are located in large numbers in the heart (this is facilitated, first of all, by the increased cholesterol content).
In addition, insufficient blood supply leads to oxygen starvation and myocardial dystrophy, and severe cardiovascular insufficiency can lead to death, which is often recorded in people aged 40-50 years.
This is interesting: Medical statistics show that alcohol consumption was the main or contributing cause of every third death in adults.
Increased cholesterol leads to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, and if we add to this increased blood clotting, which is recorded in those suffering from alcoholism, we can talk about a high probability of impaired blood supply to the heart muscle due to the formation of blood clots (heart attack, thrombosis).
At the same time, very often the same heart attack develops without pain, which complicates diagnosis (patients can see a doctor only after 2-3 days) and, accordingly, reduces the effectiveness of treatment.
Drinking alcohol has a negative effect on metabolism, reducing the blueness of proteins and the absorption of B vitamins from food, which are required to maintain normal heart function.
Heart pain after consumption
One of the clearest signs of the negative impact of alcohol on the heart of an alcoholic is pain that occurs in the morning, which is associated with malfunctions in its functioning, confirmed by taking a cardiogram. The pain is concentrated in the left side of the chest and is usually aching, stabbing in nature.
Very often they are very similar to an attack of angina, so upon hospitalization the patient is initially diagnosed with an attack of angina.
This is interesting: According to statistics, only every second chronic alcoholic lives to age 55, and every fifth death in this group is associated with acute heart failure.
Along with this, the withdrawal syndrome the next morning is accompanied by dizziness, sweating, lack of oxygen, and fear of death. In addition, many experience swelling of the legs and shortness of breath even at rest, which is a clear sign of developing heart failure.
In ordinary people, a similar condition occurs after active consumption of alcohol during a feast, and in alcoholics, a similar condition becomes chronic.
What is an alcoholic heart
The seriousness of the negative effects of alcoholic beverages led to the introduction of a special concept in medicine - alcoholic heart (cardiomyopathy). What are its characteristic features?
Studies have shown that there is an expansion of the cavities and thickening of the walls of the heart of an alcoholic. In addition, the cardiogram records arrhythmia in the form of extrasystole, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.
The development of cardiomyopathy negatively affects a person’s life (we are not talking here about problems at work, in the family, in communication, which are associated with alcohol abuse). For example, many drinkers complain of a night cough, chest pain after minimal physical exertion, rapid fatigue and other problems.
All this indicates the development of heart failure, which leads to stagnation of blood in the lungs, a constant feeling of discomfort and systemic edema.
The heart of a drinking person and a healthy one
The photograph shown shows the heart of a healthy person (on the left) and a drinker (on the right). The very first thing that catches your eye is the enlarged size of an alcoholic’s heart. This is due to the deposition of fat and expansion of cavities.
At the same time, an increase in the volume of the heart does not allow for high-quality blood supply to the internal organs, which leads to their starvation and, consequently, metabolic disorders, deterioration of well-being and other problems that actively manifest themselves even with minimal physical activity.
Concluding the conversation about the effect of alcohol on our fiery engine, we note that the main organ of the human body has a very good “memory”, so it is possible to get rid of problems caused by alcohol consumption (thickening of the walls, dystrophy, increase in the volume of adipose tissue) only at the initial stage. This requires taking medications, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise.
Medical studies show that the point of no return is passed 2-3 years after the development of alcoholism. However, even after this period it is possible to improve the situation and prevent further deterioration of the alcoholic’s heart condition.
We are talking about a complete abstinence from alcohol, which will prevent further increase in adipose tissue on the heart, improve metabolism and improve the quality of blood circulation in the body.
All this will significantly improve the quality of life, improve well-being and prevent the development of a whole bunch of diseases associated with alcohol consumption.
A vital organ, weighing 300 grams, the heart, pumps 7 thousand liters of blood every day, delivering useful substances and oxygen to all systems of the body. Stopping it makes it impossible for the body to continue functioning.
Knowing the state of the human heart after alcohol, doctors recommend that everyone, especially people with health problems, give it up.
The effects of alcoholic beverages on the heart - what is the harm of abuse for humans?
Canadian scientists conducted an experiment on 3,146 healthy people, asking them to drink alcohol regularly.
20% managed to complete this experiment without heart problems, and 80% of them developed diseases that lead to heart attacks, strokes, destruction of healthy body cells, and deterioration of brain activity.
Doctors, in the process of conducting these studies, found that short-term or long-term alcohol intake puts a strain on the heart, leading to the development of such diseases:
- Myocardial infarction;
- Heart failure;
- Bovine heart syndrome - thickening of the walls of the organ, increasing its volume;
- High blood pressure;
- Cardiomyopathy;
- Arrhythmia;
- Disruption of normal activity of the heart muscle;
Alcohol and the heart are incompatible things, and the doses and degrees of the drink are not important, this is a fact that official medicine constantly confirms.
In case of heart disease, alcohol rapidly destroys the walls of the organ and contributes to the thinning or thickening of blood vessels.
Daily consumption of alcoholic beverages ends with pain in the heart, memory gaps, and sudden coronary death.
Drinking a little alcohol or stopping completely - is there a difference in the load on the heart?
For the heart, 50 grams of vodka is a blow, but if a person has a healthy liver, it will cope with such a load for 3-5 years.
If your heart hurts after drinking alcohol, your body sends a signal that you need to stop drinking completely, reporting your problems.
The harm of alcohol manifests itself quickly in people suffering from diabetes mellitus and liver diseases. The heaviness in the heart after drinking alcohol indicates that the body cannot withstand such stress, adding new problems to the person.
The direct effect of alcohol on the heart leads to the following consequences and diseases:
- The speed of blood circulation slows down.
- The rhythm of the heart is lost - it beats too fast or too slow.
- The walls of the organ become very thick or thin.
- Shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, and excessive sweating appear.
What if after drinking alcohol your heart hurts, hurts or feels heaviness?
Alcohol causes heart pain ,
affects a person’s appearance, because the main organ for all systems, instead of useful substances, vitamins and microelements, is exposed to toxins, harmful substances from the breakdown of alcoholic beverages.
When your heart hurts after drinking alcohol, this is a signal of the beginning of the destruction of all body systems. Whether this happens slowly or quickly depends on the amount drunk, frequency of use, and strength of the drink.
When your heart hurts after drinking alcohol, you should start treatment immediately by seeking help from a narcologist. Since the myocardium of the heart has the ability to remember what happened to it, after treatment the problems will arise again.
Harmful substances from the breakdown of alcohol enter through blood vessels into all systems of the body, killing slowly and painfully.
The heart of a person who drinks alcohol wears out 3 times faster than a healthy person, and if we are talking about alcoholism, he ages and dies within a few years.