Does beer help with angina? Symptoms of angina pectoris, why it is dangerous. Excess body weight
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There is no evidence that a non-drinker will gain any cardiovascular benefit from starting to drink alcoholic beverages. It should be remembered that even a slight excess of safe doses of alcohol entails a significant negative impact on the cardiovascular system, both in comparison with abstainers and in comparison with light drinkers.
Important:
Definitions and standards of alcohol
In different countries, when we talk about a measure or a serving of alcohol, we mean different volumes. In this review, when we talk about one serving of alcohol, we mean a drink containing 10 ml of reference alcohol (alcohol). That. one serving of alcohol is:
- 100 ml beer*
- 50 ml wine*
- 25 ml vodka, cognac*, whiskey*
* marked drinks may have different strengths, so average figures are given.
Alcohol and cardiovascular mortality
Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, Bagnardi V, et al. Alcohol dosing and total mortality in men and women: an updated meta-analysis of 34 prospective studies. Arch Intern Med 2006; 166:2437.
At the same time, for men who drank three or more servings of alcohol and for women who drank more than two servings of alcohol per day, the mortality rate increased. In the group of people suffering from alcoholism (6 or more drinks per day), not only the risk of cardiovascular disease increased, but also the risk of sudden death.
Wannathee G, Shaper AG. Alcohol and sudden cardiac death. Br Heart J 1992; 68:443.
An analysis of studies among people without known cardiovascular diseases showed the same trend; people who drank alcohol in small quantities had advantages compared to non-drinkers. Alcohol abusers significantly increase the risk of both cardiovascular and sudden death and death from other causes.
A decreasing trend in mortality among light drinkers was observed in studies among both men and women. In a prospective study of 490 thousand patients, the relative risk for men was 0.7 and for women 0.6
(Thun MJ, Peto R, Lopez AD, et al. Alcohol consumption and mortality among middle-aged and elderly U.S. adults. N Engl J Med 1997; 337:1705.)
A prospective study of women (more than 85,000 women aged 34 to 59 followed for 12 years) found the following results:
(Fuchs CS, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, et al. Alcohol consumption and mortality among women. N Engl J Med 1995; 332:1245.):
- Drinking 1-3 drinks per week - relative risk 0.83
- 3 to 18 servings per week – relative risk 0.88
- >18 servings per week – relative risk 1.19
The analyzed studies allow us to draw the following conclusion: light and moderate alcohol consumption reduces cardiovascular mortality in patients both with known diseases of the cardiovascular system and in healthy individuals.
Even slightly exceeding conventionally safe doses of alcohol increases cardiovascular mortality. Drunkenness and alcoholism increases all types of mortality.
Additional information on the topic:
Alcohol and coronary heart disease
The minimum risk of developing coronary heart disease was found in individuals who consumed 2 to 7 servings of alcohol per week (Rehm JT, Bondy SJ, Sempos CT, Vuong CV. Alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. Am J Epidemiol 1997; 146:495.) .
It should be noted that there was no significant benefit from alcohol consumption among individuals with an initially low risk of CHD (BMI< 25, некурящих, питающихся здоровой пищей и регулярно занимающихся физкультурой)
Recent scientific research confirms that moderate alcohol consumption has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Doctors are faced with a difficult question: maybe it makes sense to “prescribe” alcoholic beverages to patients?
In 1842, Abraham Lincoln, speaking to members of the Illinois State Temperance Society, uttered a phrase that was received very coolly: “It is true that many people suffer greatly from alcohol,” said the future American president. “But for some reason it doesn’t occur to anyone that the problem is not in the use of something bad, but in the abuse of something good.”
Americans cannot finally decide: is alcohol good or bad? Millions of people who remember the days of Prohibition now lament the constant stream of alcohol advertising that encourages them to drink excessively. No one denies that alcohol abuse is destructive for the drinkers themselves and for society as a whole. But thinking all the time about the dangers, we do not pay attention to the numerous evidence of the beneficial effects of alcohol on the cardiovascular system. We are talking, first of all, about reducing the incidence of heart attacks and strokes, but there is also evidence of the effectiveness of alcohol in dementia caused by pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
Review: Alcohol and the Cardiovascular System
The results of many international studies indicate that drinking alcohol in small and medium quantities reduces the likelihood of death from coronary heart disease by almost a third.
Some believe that red wine is the best prevention of coronary heart disease.
People with a high risk of coronary heart disease and no contraindications to drinking alcohol should consider including alcohol in their diet in small to moderate doses.
Effect of alcohol
Drinking alcohol in moderation is thought to primarily reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). It occurs as a result of atherosclerosis - a chronic disease of the arteries, when the vessels through which blood flows to the heart gradually narrow as a result of the formation of fatty plaques on their walls.
When the flow of blood flowing to the heart is limited, there is a tendency to form blood clots, which, in turn, can lead to angina pectoris (pain in the chest due to insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle), myocardial infarction (the appearance of areas of necrosis of the heart muscle due to the formation of a blood clot or sharp narrowing of the arteries) and even death - often sudden. The development of the disease usually begins at a young age, but, as a rule, more than a dozen years pass before the pathological symptoms manifest themselves in full. IHD is the most common heart disease in developed countries, accounting for 60% of deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 25% of all deaths.
The first evidence of the positive effect of alcohol on the human body was discovered by pathologists at the very beginning of the 20th century. They noticed that in people who died from liver cirrhosis due to excessive drinking, there was no trace of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of their blood vessels. Some tried to explain this fact by the mysterious ability of alcohol to dissolve plaques, others believed that drunkards simply did not live to the age when they could develop atherosclerosis. However, both assumptions were wrong.
The answer came only in the 60s, when Gary D. Friedman, an employee at the Kaiser Medical Center in California, used a computer to identify hidden predisposition factors for the development of myocardial infarction. This made it possible to detect healthy people with the same risk factors as victims of coronary artery disease. These include smoking, hypertension, diabetes, high levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL, or “bad” cholesterol), low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or “good” cholesterol), being male, and the presence of coronary artery disease in the patient’s relatives . Friedman tried to find predictors of heart attacks by correlating the characteristic habits of his patients with more and more new indicators. For example, he compared the sports activities and gastronomic preferences of the subjects with the concentration of various chemicals in their blood. And the computer produced an amazing result: Complete abstinence from alcohol increases the risk of myocardial infarction.
Previous studies did not find such a relationship because they looked at drinking alcohol as a process that was inextricably linked to smoking. We now know that because people who drink often also drink alcohol, the negative effects of tobacco offset the positive effects of alcohol. In 1974, my colleagues Gary Friedman, Abraham D. Siegelaub, and I first presented data on the effects of moderate amounts of alcohol in nonsmokers. From them it followed that with an increase in the amount of alcohol, the risk of myocardial infarction decreases.
Since then, dozens of studies have been conducted in different countries among men and women of various ethnic groups. Their results indicated a link between the amount of alcohol they drank and their health. It has finally become clear that avid abstainers are at greater risk of developing coronary artery disease than people who drink in moderation. Moreover, in 2000, Italian scientists summarized the results of 28 studies on this topic and found that the risk of coronary heart disease decreases as the daily dose of alcohol increases from 0 to 25 grams. Drinking 25 grams of alcohol daily (about the amount found in two standard drinks) reduces the likelihood of the most serious consequences of coronary heart disease - myocardial infarction or death - by 20%.
Standard volumes of different alcoholic beverages
There is no official definition of a standard serving of alcohol, but there is some agreement on this matter. Beer is often sold in bottles or cans with a volume of 330 milliliters - it was decided to start from this volume. This amount of beer contains approximately 17 grams of alcohol. There is approximately the same amount of it in 150 milliliters of wine or 50 milliliters of strong alcoholic drinks - vodka, gin or whiskey. The indicated amounts of wine or spirits are also considered a standard serving.
In November 2002, updated data from a study of 128,934 patients from 1978 to 1985 were released at the American Cardiovascular Association meeting. 16,539 of them died between 1978 and 1998, including 3,001 from ischemic heart disease. It turned out that those who drank one or two standard drinks daily had a 32% lower risk of dying from this disease than abstainers.
The positive effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system may be associated with a decrease in cholesterol levels and a decrease in blood clotting. Lipids play a critical role in the development of coronary heart disease. Numerous studies indicate that moderate drinkers have 10-20% higher levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which are beneficial for the cardiovascular system, and are therefore less likely to develop coronary artery disease. You can increase HDL levels in another way - by regularly exercising or taking special medications.
The positive effect of HDL is also due to its ability to be sent back to the liver, where it is destroyed and then excreted from the body. As a result, less is formed on the walls of blood vessels. Alcohol affects different types of HDL differently: HDL3 is affected more than HDL2, which can be increased by exercise. It is not yet clear what exactly processes in the liver are responsible for the fact that drinking alcohol leads to an increase in HDL levels. It is possible that alcohol affects the liver enzymes involved in their production. One thing is clear: People who regularly drink alcohol have a minimal chance of developing coronary artery disease., and they owe this primarily to the increased content of high-density lipoproteins in the body.
Alcohol can also affect the complex network of biochemical reactions responsible for blood clotting. When a malfunction occurs in the coagulation system, the likelihood of the formation of blood clots that can clog a vessel increases. It is possible that platelets (blood cells), which are responsible for the formation of clots, become less “sticky” under the influence of alcohol. In 1984, Raffaele Landolfi and Manfred Steiner, both at Brown University Memorial Hospital, discovered that alcohol increases levels of prostacyclin, which reduces blood clotting relative to the level of thromboxane, which, on the contrary, promotes this process. Further, Walter E. Laug of the Keck College of Medicine of the University of Southern California showed that alcohol increases the content of the activator profibrinolysin, an enzyme that dissolves blood clots. And finally, there is evidence of a decrease in the concentration of another substance that improves blood clotting -.
A decrease in blood clotting under the influence of alcohol is another, although not so obvious, reason for the reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease. In addition, people who drink significantly less than two standard drinks per day (say, three to four drinks per week) are also less likely to get sick. In this case, a decrease in blood clotting becomes a major factor, since alcohol in such small quantities has virtually no effect on HDL levels.
Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages can reduce the likelihood of coronary artery disease and indirectly reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is a serious predisposition factor to this disease. Alcohol increases insulin sensitivity, which in turn promotes normal glucose utilization. (Diabetics should keep in mind that when drinking alcohol excessively, the blood glucose level, on the contrary, increases.) In addition, more and more evidence is emerging about the anti-inflammatory effect of alcohol on the endothelium that lines the inside of blood vessels.
Many works devoted to the study of this problem give the same result: drinking alcohol in small and moderate quantities does have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, but is not a universal cure for all diseases.
If you need to make a decision
Together with Roger R. Ecker, a heart surgeon at Graduate Medical Center in Oakland, California, we developed these charts to help anyone decide whether and how to include alcoholic beverages in their diet. in what quantity. “Small to moderate amounts” corresponds to one standard serving per day for women and up to two servings per day for men. “Excessive quantity” is defined as three or more servings per day for men and two or more for women. This scheme does not apply to the following categories of people: persons under 21 years of age, pregnant women, persons who do not drink alcohol due to the presence of alcoholics in their family tree or for religious reasons, persons who abused alcohol and got rid of this addiction, persons with chronic liver diseases
Risk factors for coronary heart disease according to American National Cholesterol Education Program standards:
1. Presence of patients with coronary artery disease in the family (father or brother under 55 years old, mother or sister under 65);
2. Smoking;
3. Hypertension;
4. Total cholesterol level is above 200;
5. HDL level below 35 (if HDL level is above 60, then subtract one of the risk factors);
6. Age over 40 for men and over 50 for women.
Wine, beer or something stronger?
Beer, wine, and spirits all reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). But does any of them, for example wine, have advantages over others? We have to admit that this issue has not been finally resolved.
The death rate from coronary heart disease in France, a country where red wine flows, is half that of the United States (given the same fat intake and lifestyle). This phenomenon is called the “French paradox” and has led to the assumption that red wine has a better effect on the cardiovascular system than other alcoholic drinks. One possible explanation is the increased content of substances that have antioxidant properties that inhibit the development of atherosclerosis.
A brilliant study was conducted in Denmark. There, 13,000 people were observed for 12 years (from 1983 to 1995), which showed that people who prefer wine are less likely to die from coronary artery disease than those who drink other alcoholic beverages. In 1990, my Kaiser Medical Center colleagues Mary Armstrong and Gary Friedman and I published
data on the probability of death due to IHD, and in 1997 - on the probability of developing IHD. The results of surveys of almost 130,000 Californians showed that people who drink wine and beer are less likely to become victims of coronary heart disease than those who prefer strong alcoholic drinks. In 2002, we were surprised to find that daily wine drinkers were about 25% less likely to die from coronary heart disease than beer drinkers, given the same amount of pure alcohol. Compared to those who drink strong alcoholic beverages in small or moderate quantities, the risk of CHD for those who prefer wine is 35% lower. It doesn’t matter what kind of wine (red or white) they drink.
Unfortunately, interpreting these data is complicated by the fact that the drinking habits of people who drink wine, beer, and spirits vary significantly. In Denmark, for example, those who prefer wine eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, fish, etc. In addition, such people tend to have a higher socioeconomic status and educational level.
Differences in the lifestyles of people who prefer different types of alcoholic beverages do not allow us to accurately determine what is associated with positive effect of alcohol- with the drink itself (and, accordingly, with substances contained in it besides alcohol), the method of its consumption (slowly, simultaneously with food intake) or with some other factors.
To drink or not to drink
People, as a rule, drink alcohol not to improve their health, and many drink it in such quantities that all the positive effects of alcohol disappear. And here doctors face a serious problem. On the one hand, alcohol in small and moderate doses is more beneficial for the cardiovascular system than completely abstaining from it, but on the other hand, excessive consumption is harmful to the body. Alcohol causes diseases such as liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, cancer, and neurological disorders. It is responsible for a huge number of accidents, murders and suicides, and also causes fetal alcohol syndrome. Excessive consumption of strong drinks increases the risk of developing cardiomyopathy, stroke, hypertension, and the so-called “weekend syndrome”, characterized by heart rhythm disturbances, is also associated with this.
So should you include alcoholic drinks in your diet or not, and if so, in what quantity? Will moderate drinking lead to excessive drinking? To determine the likelihood of such a development of events, you need to analyze the pedigree of this person - find out whether his relatives had problems associated with strong drinks. A deeper approach is needed here. If a person has a high risk of developing coronary artery disease, and at the same time he drinks alcohol in small quantities for a long time, and there is no reason to believe that this gives rise to any problems, then advice to give up alcohol altogether will be inappropriate in this case. Of course, it is very important that such a person eats right and exercises, gives up cigarettes, monitors his weight, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and measures his blood pressure. But if you consider that alcohol in moderation is also a positive factor, then it is better not to give it up and not change your habits.
On the other hand, people who do not drink alcohol at all should not be strongly advised to start drinking to improve their health, since, as a rule, they have good reasons for complete abstinence. But there are also exceptions. First of all, these are people who have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and who have decided to lead a healthy lifestyle: they quit smoking, go on a Spartan diet, begin to exercise and, for good reasons, refuse the usual bottle of beer or glass of wine before bed. Such self-restraint is unnecessary. Moreover, those who drink a little alcohol only occasionally should consider increasing the dose to one standard drink daily. This applies primarily to men over 40 years of age and women over 50 with a high risk of IHD. However, it should be remembered that there is a connection between excessive alcohol consumption and breast cancer (this also applies to moderate doses). If we are talking about young women, then their risk of developing coronary artery disease in the near future is low, and therefore, weighing the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption and its negative consequences, they may refuse it altogether. But, one way or another, for all women, without exception, the upper limit should be one standard portion per day.
How alcohol can protect against CHD
Effect of alcohol | Possible mechanism | Validity |
Increases the relative concentration of HDL in the blood | Removes cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels | There is reliable evidence: the effect is responsible for half of the benefits of drinking alcohol |
Lowers LDL levels in the blood | Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease caused by one of the main factors | The data is unreliable: the influence of diet cannot be ruled out |
Reduces the degree of oxidation of LDL | Prevents plaque formation associated with LDL oxidation | At the level of hypothesis, although it is known that red wines contain many antioxidants |
Reduces fibrinogen levels in the blood | Data is moderately reliable | |
Has an anticoagulant effect: reduces the “stickiness” of platelets, increases the level of prostacyclin, reduces the level of thromboxane | Reduces the likelihood of blood clots | The data is contradictory: with increasing doses of alcohol, the opposite effect is possible |
Increases sensitivity to insulin | Reduces the risk of developing diabetes and atherosclerosis | Conclusions are based on only a small number of studies |
Reduces psycho-social tension | Not clear | There is no clear data |
Improves the condition of the heart muscle | Increases the resistance of the heart muscle to damage associated with lack of oxygen | Data is preliminary |
Alcohol: Risks and Benefits
Drinking alcohol in small and in moderate quantities | Alcohol abuse | ||
Risk | Advantages | Risk | Advantages |
Proven: Abuse Not fully established: Unlikely: | Maybe: Reducing the risk of coronary artery disease Reducing the likelihood of liver stones Presumably: | Not related to the cardiovascular system: Cirrhosis of the liver Pancreatitis Some types of cancer Accidents Suicides Fetal development disorder Degenerative changes in the central nervous system The cardiovascular system: | None |
And in conclusion, I am sure that for any person it is possible to find a safe limit for alcohol consumption, which will give an almost guaranteed positive effect. The ancient Greeks called for moderation in everything. The results of thirty years of research have shown that this principle is directly related to alcohol.
About the author:
Arthur L. Klatsky is a chief consultant in cardiology and an associate investigator in the department of research at Kaiser Medical Center in Oakland, California. From 1978 to 1994, he headed the cardiology department of the medical center, and from 1968 to 1990, its division for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Since 1997, he has conducted research related to the search for a correlation between alcohol consumption and health status. In 1974, his article appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which for the first time presented epidemiological data on the connection between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular pathologies. In 1995, it was cited by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse as one of the first on this topic. Klatsky has competed in six marathons and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 1990.
Based on materials from the magazine “In the World of Science” No. 6, 2003
- How does nifedipine work?
- When to use
- How to take the medicine
- Undesirable effects and contraindications
- Clinical efficacy studies
Nifedipine is a medicinal substance that is available in several forms:
- solution for intravenous administration (Adalat);
- tablets with a short-term effect (Kordafen, Cordaflex, Cordipine, Nifedipine, Phenigidine);
- long-acting tablets with controlled or modified release of the substance (Calcigard retard, Cordaflex, Cordaflex RD, Cordipin retard, Cordipin HL, Corinfar, Corinfar retard, Corinfar uno, Nifecard CL, Osmo-adalat).
All these drugs are analogues of the active substance. These forms have the same pharmacological effect and mechanism of action, but differ in the speed of onset of the effect and its duration. Therefore, nifedipine in solution, short- and long-acting tablets is prescribed for different indications.
How does nifedipine work?
The substance blocks the channels in the cell wall through which calcium enters the cell. There are most of these channels in muscle tissue, including the myocardium. The penetration of calcium into these cells causes their excitation, causing the muscle to contract.
If calcium channels are blocked, the flow of calcium into cells will be reduced. As a result, the lumen of blood vessels, in the wall of which there are circular muscle fibers, increases.
The coronary arteries dilate, resulting in significantly improved blood supply to the myocardium. The diameter of the peripheral (distant) arteries also increases, which causes a decrease in blood pressure.
Nifedipine has virtually no effect on cardiac muscle contractility. It has no effect on the conduction system of the heart, therefore it is not used as an antiarrhythmic agent. This substance reduces the load on the heart and its need for oxygen, lowers blood pressure and improves coronary blood flow. Then the heart begins to work more efficiently.
When to use
Indications for use:
- prevention of attacks of chest pain (angina) in coronary heart disease (I20);
- prevention of vasospasm in Prinzmetal angina (I1)
- relieving chest pain, for example, with intolerance to nitroglycerin;
- constant blood pressure monitoring for hypertension (I10);
- rapid cessation of hypertensive crisis;
- syndrome and Raynaud's disease (peripheral vasospasm) (I0).
Nifedipine in the form of a solution is used for severe conditions in a hospital. Short-acting forms (preferably without a shell) are used in acute cases (angina attack, hypertensive crisis). For permanent treatment it is necessary to take long-acting drugs.
How to take the medicine
The instructions state that the regimen and dosage should be prescribed by a doctor, since the effect of this drug is individual for each patient.
Nifedipine is usually prescribed in a daily dose of 30 to 80 mg. When using short-acting tablets, it is divided into 3-4 doses; when using long-acting forms, the drug is taken twice a day.
For variant angina and severe hypertension that is difficult to treat, the daily dose of the drug can be increased for a short time to 120 mg. This can only be done on the recommendation of a doctor and the drug is normally tolerated in order to avoid its side effects. 120 mg is the maximum dose for this medicine in tablet form, which can be taken during the day.
To quickly reduce blood pressure during a crisis, 10-20 mg of the drug is placed under the tongue, the effect occurs within 15-30 minutes. Nifedipine can also be taken for chest pain, also by placing a short-acting tablet under the tongue or chewing it.
In a hospital setting, to relieve a crisis or attack of angina, nifedipine can be administered intravenously at 5 mg per hour up to a maximum daily dose of 30 mg.
Undesirable effects and contraindications
Side effects are associated mainly with the expansion of not only the coronary (which is useful), but also other arteries (which can cause discomfort). In addition, the drug is processed in the body by the liver and excreted through the kidneys, so it can have an adverse effect on these organs. It should be noted that toxic effects of nifedipine occur very rarely. The advantage of the drug is that it does not affect the bronchi and carbohydrate metabolism, such as beta blockers.
Adverse events:
Organ system | Possible side effects | |
More frequent | Rare, in case of overdose | |
Heart and blood vessels | Skin redness Feeling hot Cardiopalmus Lower blood pressure Swelling of the ankles |
Slowing heart rate Ventricular arrhythmias Heart failure Increased frequency of attacks of chest pain |
Digestive organs and liver | Nausea Loose stool |
Overgrowth of gum tissue Increased transaminase activity Liver dysfunction |
Nervous system | Headache | Sensory impairment Muscle pain Muscle tremors Insomnia Deterioration of vision |
Hematopoiesis | — | A decrease in the number of leukocytes, accompanied by suppression of immune responses Decreased platelet count accompanied by bleeding |
Kidneys | Increased urine output | Renal dysfunction |
Endocrine system | — | Breast enlargement in men |
Allergic reaction | Skin rash | |
Local reactions | When administered intravenously, the patient may feel a burning sensation at the injection site |
Contraindications to the use of this medicine:
- decrease in systolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg;
- severe heart failure, accompanied by edema and shortness of breath at rest;
- severe aortic stenosis (one of the heart defects in which blood is difficult to push out of the heart into the aorta);
- individual intolerance.
Cases when nifedipine can be used only in exceptional cases as prescribed by a doctor:
- pregnancy (in animal experiments the toxic effect of the drug on the embryo was proven; no studies have been conducted in humans);
- breastfeeding (the medicine is excreted in milk and can harm the baby);
- liver failure (dosage reduction and laboratory monitoring of safety of use are necessary, primarily regular tests for the content of ALT and AST);
- renal failure (avoid high doses, regularly monitor blood creatinine levels, preferably glomerular filtration rate, and also monitor diuresis);
- old age (possibly deterioration of blood supply to the brain due to a sharp dilation of blood vessels);
- acute myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes mellitus, malignant hypertension, hemodialysis.
The medication has a withdrawal syndrome - when you suddenly stop taking it, your blood pressure quickly rises and angina attacks become more frequent. The medicine should be discontinued gradually.
You need to know that the simultaneous use of nifedipine and alcohol enhances the hypotensive effect of the drug, which may be accompanied by dizziness and even fainting.
Clinical efficacy studies
Quite a few large international studies have been conducted to evaluate the benefits and safety of nifedipine. Based on these data, modern indications for its use were formulated.
The INSIGHT study (2000) showed that the drug Osmo-adalat effectively fights hypertension, it is safe, better tolerated than diuretics and reduces the incidence of heart attacks and strokes due to hypertension, and also prevents the development of other metabolic diseases, such as gout. In addition, it has been proven to slow down the progression of atherosclerosis.
The ENCORE I study (2003) was devoted to studying the effect of nifedipine on the mechanism of its vasodilator action. It turned out that this mechanism is closely related to the restoration of the function of the endothelium - the inner lining of blood vessels.
The Action Study (2004) is one of the largest studies of extended-release nifedipine. The safety of the drug and its ability to reduce the need for coronary angiography and coronary artery bypass surgery have been proven. The addition of conventional therapy with long-acting nifedipine leads to an improved prognosis in patients with hypertension and angina, including after myocardial infarction.
The European Society of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology recommend the use of long-acting forms of nifedipine for stable angina, both as monotherapy and in combination with beta-blockers and nitrates.
Short-acting forms have retained their position as emergency drugs (the main indication is hypertensive crisis).
Symptoms and methods of treatment of angina pectoris
Angina pectoris is a form of coronary heart disease. The disease has a simple name - angina pectoris. It occurs when the blood supply to a certain area of the heart is disrupted.
What are the causes of angina? There are many reasons for the occurrence of this disease. An attack of angina pectoris most often occurs in people due to psychoemotional disorder, stress, severe physical exertion, neurosis, excessive consumption of alcohol or fatty foods.
When you perform physical activity, blood flow accelerates, and this can lead to an attack. Renal colic and stones in the gall or bladder can lead to the appearance of angina pectoris. This disease can develop due to heat or hypothermia. Among other things, angina develops in severe forms of anemia and after large blood loss.
Classification
The classification of angina is as follows:
- Angina pectoris. It appears under heavy loads on the body. It is accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the chest and can cause pain in the neck, shoulder blade, and jaw. The pain is pressing and pressing in nature. Angina pectoris is divided into several types: it appears with unusually sudden and heavy loads; develops during dynamic walking, especially in winter weather; expressed with limited physical activity; walking the 1st floor is very difficult for such people; the patient cannot perform any physical activity without an attack of angina.
- Myocardial infarction. Divided into acute and transferred. It occurs with the development of ischemic necrosis of the myocardium and is accompanied by an absolute insufficiency of its blood supply. Occurs in patients with low physical activity.
- Acute coronary insufficiency. Complete or partial cessation of coronary blood flow with improper blood supply to the myocardium with nutrients.
- A painless form of coronary heart disease (CHD). Most often occurs in patients with a high pain threshold and in people diagnosed with diabetes. In the initial stages of coronary heart disease, no signs are observed, only mild discomfort in the chest area is noted. The patient may complain of shortness of breath, heartburn, and weakness of the left arm.
If we consider the types of angina in detail and in more detail, then today there are several types of coronary heart disease:
- New-onset angina. Symptoms appear for about a month. After this, deterioration may occur or the disease may transform into a stable form.
- Stable angina. Attacks are regular due to physical and emotional stress.
- Progressive angina. The attacks are unstable and can occur even in a calm state. They are accompanied by severe chest pain and require immediate hospitalization, as this is a very dangerous type of disease.
- Variant angina. It is also called vasospastic. It is extremely rare. Occurs due to vascular spasms.
- Microvascular angina. This is a rare case. In this case, the vessels are affected unevenly, which leads to impaired blood flow.
Typically, this disease affects older people, but there are cases when angina occurs in young people. The reason is a sedentary lifestyle and low adaptation to physical activity.
Spontaneous angina is the same as new angina. Angina can be treated in two ways: medication and surgery.
Drug treatment
If there is a sharp deterioration in health, you should resort to medications under the inpatient supervision of doctors. With the help of properly selected treatment, disastrous consequences can be avoided. For angina pectoris, treatment must be prescribed by a specialist doctor.
There are a number of drugs that help improve well-being in heart failure:
- Beta blockers. They reduce the frequency of contraction of the heart muscle, have a beneficial effect on the heart during arrhythmia, and eliminate it. Use can be either long-term or short-term, it all depends on the doctor’s recommendation. Such drugs include Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Anaprilin, etc.
- Treatment of angina pectoris also includes nitrates. An effective remedy for eliminating an attack of angina pectoris. They cause the coronary vessels to rapidly dilate, as a result of which they reduce the flow of blood to the heart by enlarging the veins that store blood. All nitrates can become addictive, so these drugs are more suitable for short-term use. Nitrates include nitroglycerin, isosorbide dinitrate, mononitrate, etc.
- Cardiac glycosides. Promotes increased contractions of the heart muscle and slows down their frequency. They have a lot of side effects, so they are prescribed by a doctor after a detailed examination.
A very important point in the treatment of angina is the combination of medications. Along with the above remedies, you should also take medications that control the level of glucose, cholesterol in the blood, lower blood viscosity, and diuretics.
Surgical methods of treatment
Along with drug treatment, surgical methods of treating angina pectoris are used:
- Stenting is one of the methods of surgical intervention for angina pectoris. Treatment consists of restoring the lumen of the artery by inserting a metal tube (stent) into it. The operation is performed through a thigh vein using a specific catheter. Does not require general anesthesia and is performed under local anesthesia.
- Coronary artery bypass surgery. The operation is performed by creating an additional path through which blood enters the heart, bypassing the damaged parts of the artery. This type of surgery is more serious, as it is performed on an open heart and always under general anesthesia. This operation is mainly prescribed for angina pectoris in older people.
- Transmyocardial laser revascularization. Using special laser equipment, many through passages are made in the heart muscle, bypassing the coronary arteries. It is performed under general anesthesia.
- Heart transplant. Doctors resort to this type of operation only in extreme cases. The difficulty is finding a suitable donor for the transplant. A very difficult operation.
Signs
What are the signs of angina?
It is difficult to recognize angina pectoris among other ischemic heart diseases.
But there are distinctive signs of this disease. Pressing and burning pain behind the chest. Usually occurs after severe physical fatigue: when running, walking up stairs, dynamic walking. The pain begins during physical activity and subsides when it stops. During an attack, patients may experience increased blood pressure, palpitations, and perspiration. In such cases, you need to take nitroglycerin and consult a doctor. Often the attack lasts up to 15 minutes. If the attack does not go away within 30 minutes, then you should urgently contact an ambulance for further hospitalization. In older people, symptoms of angina pectoris are more pronounced.
Effective methods for diagnosing angina pectoris
There are several methods for cardiac examination of the disease:
- Clinical examination. The cardiologist conducts a detailed survey of the patient to compile a medical history. The patient's complaints and ways to relieve pain are studied. Then the doctor does a detailed examination: checks the pulse, blood pressure, and listens to heart rhythms. After this, the patient is sent for a laboratory examination to check the level of sugar, hemoglobin, and cholesterol in the blood.
- Electrocardiography. For a patient with coronary artery disease, undergoing electrocardiography is a mandatory process. It reveals the degree of oxygen starvation of the heart muscle, which is the cause of angina. An ECG should be performed only at the moment when cardiac angina appears.
- X-ray of the chest organs. Such diagnostics are carried out only to identify heart defects. Helps detect changes in the size of the heart, stagnation of blood in the lungs.
- Holter monitoring. With this type of diagnosis, the work of the heart is observed during the day, after which all interruptions in the heart rhythm are recorded.
- Coronary angiography. This is the most reliable diagnostic method. It allows you to decide how to treat the patient: medication or surgery. Angiography shows the extent of vascular damage.
Development risks
There are two types of disease risk factors: those that can be influenced (removable) and those that cannot be influenced (irremovable).
- Unavoidable factors. Age, gender, heredity and race are things that cannot be influenced. Men are more prone to developing angina than women. After 55 years the chances become equal. Oddly enough, Europeans suffer from angina more often than representatives of the Negroid race. Also, the risk of having a heart attack in people who have relatives with this disease is much greater than in those who do not.
- Eliminated factors. If a person cannot influence age, gender and other irremovable factors, then there are a number of factors that can be changed. Thus, obese people are automatically at risk. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the correctness of your diet throughout your life, because obesity is the result of an unhealthy diet and overeating. Smoking is not only a bad habit, but also a precursor to the development of angina pectoris. In people who smoke, the level of oxygen in the blood decreases, which contributes to arterial spasm. People with diabetes are also at risk. Moreover, this risk is 2 times greater than that of others. Chronic stress causes the heart to work twice as hard, which also leads to the development of coronary artery disease. You should analyze the causes of stressful situations and avoid them in every possible way. Poor physical activity can lead to illness. To avoid this, you need to do exercises in the morning and perform light exercise. Increased blood clotting is another risk factor. Blood clots can form in the arteries, which can lead to angina. It is imperative to take these factors into account, and if you avoid them, this will be an excellent prevention not only of IHD, but also of many other diseases.
Prevention
The main prevention of angina pectoris is to organize proper nutrition. After all, if a person is obese, then blood passes through his arteries much more slowly. In turn, oxygen and nutrients reach the heart in smaller quantities. Prevention of angina pectoris must be carried out from the age of 35, if before that there were no prerequisites for the disease. It is necessary to limit animal fats and carbohydrates in the diet. Pasta, red fish, herring, white bread, tea, coffee, cakes, muffins, canned foods, sauces and marinades should be completely avoided. The right food for the prevention of angina pectoris can be dairy products and milk; consumption of honey in small quantities is allowed. As for prevention methods not related to nutrition, you should periodically improve your health in sanatoriums and lead a correct lifestyle, which will allow you to avoid encountering such a disease. And then there will be no need to treat angina pectoris. Be healthy!
What alcohol lowers blood pressure?
Drinking alcohol can affect blood pressure. Does alcohol raise or lower blood pressure? Drinks have different effects on hypertensive patients. In some, blood pressure decreases, in others it increases.
Alcohol abuse in large doses inevitably leads to a persistent increase in blood counts. Hypertensive patients are allowed to drink only in enough quantity to avoid a hangover in the morning.
If your blood pressure increases after drinking alcohol, doctors recommend taking Magnesia. You should not take Aspirin if you have a headache, it will increase your blood pressure. Almost all medications with antihypertensive properties are incompatible with “intoxication.”
The effect of alcohol in hypertension depends on the dose, frequency of use, what drink was taken, its degree, as well as the physiological characteristics of the body. Let's figure out whether it's possible to drink alcohol if your blood pressure is high?
How does alcohol affect blood pressure?
The effects of alcohol on every body are different. An experiment was conducted in which ten men and women took part. They were asked to drink half a liter of beer, 100 ml of sweet red wine and 50 ml of vodka. Half an hour later, they measured blood pressure, pulse, and took a blood test.
They showed that DM and DD increased slightly, ESR increased, the heartbeat became more frequent, as did the pulse. There was no deterioration in health. During
continuation of the study, when volunteers were asked to drink a certain dose every day for two weeks, many complained of fatigue, weakness, and headaches.
If you drink 50 ml of whiskey or cognac, it will help dilate blood vessels and eliminate spasms. But as the dosage increases, the decrease in blood pressure is replaced by a sharp increase. This negatively affects the body of a healthy person, and in hypertensive patients the likelihood of a hypertensive crisis increases.
Weaker alcoholic drinks, such as champagne, but in a “decent” dose, lead to a sharp decrease. Changes are observed in the body:
- Blood vessels sharply narrow.
- The tone of the vascular walls is weakened.
- Feeling worse.
Alcohol in combination with cigarette smoking worsens the course of hypertension; the disease rapidly progresses, leading to disruption of the functionality of organs and systems. First of all, the kidneys, brain, organs of vision, and heart are affected.
You can get an answer to the question whether vodka increases or decreases blood pressure only experimentally. Drink a small amount - up to 50 ml, after 30 minutes measure the readings several times.
If a hypertensive person drinks a lot and often, or has binges, then the systolic and diastolic readings will increase. Alcohol provokes the release of adrenaline into the blood, causing tachycardia. In old age, alcoholism increases the risk of death from heart attack and stroke by 50%.
With hypotension, the blood stops pressing on the vessels after drinking alcohol. A small dose helps relax the vascular walls, can expand them, and relieve tone.
Blood moves faster through the left ventricle, which can lower blood pressure.
Is it okay to drink alcohol if you have hypertension?
Chronically high renal and cardiac pressure is revealed by many prohibitions in the life of hypertensive patients. However, there is no complete ban on drinking alcohol. Patients should know which alcohol lowers blood pressure and which can increase it.
Against the background of alcoholism, the body is intoxicated with ethanol, which leads to an inevitable increase in blood counts. At the same time, intracranial and intraocular pressure increases.
Of course, alcohol is harmful. Doctors repeat this every day. Having a history of hypertension, ethanol leads to adverse reactions that worsen the course of a chronic disease:
- Weight gain.
- Poor absorption of medications taken.
- Thrombosis, blood thickening.
- Increased concentrations of glucose and bad cholesterol.
- The occurrence of swelling.
- Deterioration of heart function.
The constant effect of alcohol disrupts the structural structure of blood vessels. They become brittle and less elastic. All pathological processes concern not only strong drinks. Beer is no less dangerous. If abused, it can have a negative effect on the kidneys.
It is difficult to predict which alcohol will increase blood pressure and which will do the opposite. It all depends on the individual reaction of the body. Drinks that can lower blood pressure:
- At a blood pressure of 145-150/90 mm, cognac dilates blood vessels, provided that it is not combined with antihypertensive drugs. It is strictly prohibited to use it as a method of therapy; it can lead to alcohol dependence.
- White and red wine slightly reduces DM and DD. It is acceptable to use in a small dose several times a month.
Practice shows that alcohol will negatively affect blood pressure in cases where a person drinks frequently and a lot and constantly exceeds the dosage. In the morning he suffers from a hangover, there are binges.
Other factors can also affect blood values - drinking coffee, changes in atmospheric pressure, severe stress. If you really want an invigorating drink, then it is permissible to replace it with chicory - it will not raise your blood pressure.
If the patient has grade 2 or 3 hypertension, the lower value varies from 110 to 130 mmHg, it is recommended to avoid drinking libations. Even from taking small dosages.
Conservative therapy for hypertension can last for years. Almost all medications (for example, Cavinton, Furosemide, etc.) are incompatible with ethanol.
Adverse reactions are unpredictable. Therefore, during antihypertensive therapy you should refrain from drinking alcohol.
Hypertension and alcoholism
High blood pressure in men and women suffering from alcoholism is a common occurrence. When abused, the body is poisoned with toxic substances. A person's sweating increases, the pulse slows down, and a sparkle appears in the eyes. In the morning, nausea, severe headache, emotional depression, and weakness are detected.
Alcoholic drinks provoke the development of other pathologies. Chronic consumption increases the risk of death during sleep. Disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system occur, ischemia and arrhythmia are formed.
Alcohol in hypertension can aggravate the course of the disease. Leads to frequent surges in blood pressure and hypertensive crises, during which the heart and blood vessels suffer.
Alcohol can cause death due to complications:
- Urolithiasis disease.
- Stroke, heart attack.
- Obesity.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
Ethanol leads to peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum. It is the cause of Parkinson's pathology. Destroys joints. This is due to the fact that blood circulation in the extremities is disrupted.
If, after drinking alcohol, the DM and DD did not rise significantly, up to 25% of the initial values, then you can take Magnesia. An equally effective method is a contrast shower, which helps relieve high blood pressure.
When the indicators have increased excessively or your health has sharply worsened, it is recommended to call an ambulance. While she is driving, take an antihypertensive pill. For heart pain, take Nitroglycerin.
In conclusion, we note that a small dosage of alcohol reduces blood pressure. More than 100 ml contributes to an increase in performance. It is better to choose drinks with a high price rather than a cheap option. It is prohibited to drink alcohol as a method of treating hypertension. Alcohol products impair the functioning of the immune system and have a detrimental effect on the body as a whole, leading to various pathologies and malfunctions.
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Despite all the negative aspects of drinking alcohol, there are still some benefits from it. Alcohol in moderate doses has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels. If you have angina, you can drink alcohol, but only if you drink in moderation (this will be discussed below). Moreover, in small doses, alcohol has a therapeutic and preventive effect on blood vessels and heart muscle.
Let's try to figure out why this is so and how this happens.
The effect of alcohol on the heart and blood vessels during angina pectoris
Pathologies of the cardiovascular system, such as coronary disease and angina pectoris, occur due to the drying out of blood vessels and a decrease in their diameter, as a result of which the blood supply to the heart muscle is disrupted. Obstructed blood flow can lead to serious heart problems, including heart attack. This type of vascular pathology is called atherosclerosis and is a serious disease. Blockage of blood vessels with cholesterol plaques, due to excessive narrowing of blood vessels, can lead to death.
Ethyl alcohol, in turn, helps to dilate blood vessels and break down cholesterol plaques that impede normal blood flow. Thus, drinking alcohol in small doses protects the cardiovascular system from atherosclerosis, but if abused, alcohol has a destructive effect on the walls of blood vessels and the heart muscle.
The therapeutic effect of alcohol is present only if you drink it in minimal quantities and no more than once a week. Systematic drunkenness contributes to serious deterioration of health, overriding any possible benefits. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to the development of diseases of the heart, nervous system and other internal organs.
How does alcohol reduce the risk of angina?
Due to the presence of ethyl alcohol, a smaller amount of lipoproteins is formed in the blood, which tend to form cholesterol plaques. Numerous studies have shown that the blood vessels of people who drink are much cleaner than those of those who do not drink alcohol at all. Thus, alcohol reduces the risks of coronary disease and heart attack.
Angina pectoris and alcohol can be compatible, but only if the patient drinks minimal amounts of alcohol on holidays.
What is the best drink to drink to avoid IHD and in what quantity?
The beneficial properties of alcohol differ depending on the drink:
- Beer also has a beneficial effect on the heart if you drink no more than one glass and no more than 1-2 times a week. However, beer contains much less beneficial substances than wine, and much more toxins.
- Vodka, cognac and other strong alcoholic drinks are also allowed, but not more than 30 ml at a time and no more than 1 time per day.
An important and largely determining factor is the quality of the drinks consumed. Only a high-quality product can bring any benefit. A low-quality surrogate can only cause harm.
Consequences of alcohol abuse in angina pectoris
Despite the benefits of ethanol in small doses for coronary artery disease and angina pectoris, getting carried away with alcohol while having heart problems is extremely dangerous. For a diseased heart, alcohol abuse poses a much greater threat than for a healthy one. Alcohol is dangerous for heart patients for the following reasons:
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conclusions
Alcohol can indeed exhibit some beneficial properties for the body, including for the cardiovascular system, but only when its consumption is strictly moderate and occasional. Ethyl alcohol cleans blood vessels and stimulates blood circulation, but this does not cease to be a strong poison that harms the entire body. Ethanol is a dangerous, potent drug that kills many more people than directly from cardiovascular disease.
Systematic consumption of alcohol while suffering from heart disease is extremely unwise and dangerous. People with pathologies of the cardiovascular system are advised to abstain from alcohol as much as possible.
Alcohol is a poison, but this has never stopped anyone from using and abusing it. Such a tradition has developed in our country that we drink for any reason and, as a rule, no one thinks about the effect of alcohol on the body, believing that if they drink not very often and in moderation, the danger that alcohol contains does not concern them, however, few people know that there is no safe dose of alcohol. Effect of alcohol on the heart very negative and dangerous, since the heart is the main organ through which blood circulates in our body, when alcohol enters the blood it is the first to take a hit. According to statistics, more than a third of all deaths from heart disease are associated with alcohol consumption. During the entire 5-7 hours while the alcohol consumed circulates in the blood, the heart works in an unfavorable mode.
The pulse increases to 100 beats per minute, the body's metabolism and nutrition of the heart muscle are disrupted. Distilling blood filled with alcohol, it works in an enhanced mode, while the load on it increases several times, which is why people in a state of alcoholic intoxication experience a rapid heartbeat, while normal blood circulation is disrupted, blood pressure rises, which leads to the destruction of the smallest blood vessels, the most obvious confirmation of this is redness in the nose area in people who drink frequently and reddened eye whites, usually in the morning after taking a dose of alcohol. Being a direct-acting cellular poison, alcohol damages heart muscle cells and increases blood pressure (even with a single dose for several days), poisoning the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
An excess amount of fat accumulates in the heart muscle, it degenerates, becomes flabby and the heart has difficulty coping with its work. The result is premature atherosclerosis and hypertension.
Alcohol consumption always and significantly increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and cardiac arrhythmia. Absolutely indisputable evidence of a direct connection between alcohol consumption and sudden coronary death, as well as myocardial infarction, has long been obtained.
Another study was conducted in emergency rooms. It concerned cases of atrial fibrillation, one of the cardiac arrhythmias. The results of this study clearly indicate that alcohol was responsible for two-thirds of cases of this dangerous cardiac arrhythmia.
These studies indicate that the more alcohol a person drinks, the higher the risk of developing heart disease and heart attacks. Moreover, there is absolutely no threshold for reasonable and normal consumption of alcoholic beverages, below which there is no risk of heart disease. Alcohol in any dose has a detrimental effect on the heart.
The term alcoholic heart exists even in specialized medical literature. Alcoholic heart syndrome or cardiomyopathy may well occur with a short history of alcoholism and with relatively small doses of alcohol consumption.
There are several reasons for the development of alcoholic heart syndrome (alcoholic cardiomyopathy, bovine heart syndrome).
Firstly, this is the harmful toxic effect of alcohol and its breakdown products on the myocardium.
Secondly, it is a factor of disruption of the activity of the heart muscle, due to insufficient formation of proteins. And disruption of protein synthesis occurs as a result of alcoholic liver damage. People who drink alcohol have a significantly reduced absorption of B vitamins; vitamins of this group are very important for normal heart function.
Heart pain is closely related to alcohol consumption the day before. Heart pain often occurs the day after drinking alcohol.
The next morning, after drinking, sometimes there are interruptions in the functioning of the heart, lack of air, fear of death, sweating and dizziness. Some people who drink alcohol experience shortness of breath at rest and swelling of the legs. And these are signs of heart failure.
Examination of the heart in drinkers almost always reveals thickening of the walls and expansion of the cavities of the heart, arrhythmias are recorded - heart rhythm disturbances: atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, extrasystole.
Treating alcoholic heart changes is not an easy task. The heart muscle has a biochemical memory - specific alcohol disturbances of biochemical processes lead to repeated cardiac arrhythmias.
The key to successful treatment of specific alcoholic heart pathologies is a complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages.
Alcohol affects the heart in three different ways. Firstly, this is the effect of ethyl alcohol itself and the products of its metabolism as toxic substances, secondly, the effect of a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine), and thirdly, the effect of additives and impurities included in alcoholic drinks (previously, for example, in beer was added cobalt chloride as a foam stabilizer, which caused heart damage - cobalt cardiomyopathy).
Alcohol acts not only on the myocardium, but causes changes in vascular tone and the distribution of ions in the tissues of the heart (mainly potassium and magnesium). The latter is an extremely important point for the proper functioning of the heart (for the rhythm of its contractions). If the ion balance is incorrect, this creates conditions for arrhythmias to occur. As a result of regular alcohol consumption, degeneration of myocardial cells develops in the heart muscle, and connective tissue grows around the vessels (perivascular fibrosis). The layer of this connective tissue around the vessel, like an additional “waterproofing”, prevents either oxygen or nutrients dissolved in the blood from leaving the vessel. Under these conditions, myocardial cells are on a starvation diet. There is a lack of oxygen in the tissues - ischemia. Some heart muscle cells die, and their place is also taken by connective tissue and fat. As a result, it turns out that there are fewer myocardial cells and they become prone to contracting arrhythmically.
If a person drinks alcohol and has such disorders in the heart, then all pathological processes - the tendency to arrhythmic contraction and ischemia intensify. At the same time, there is a high risk that ischemia will turn into myocardial infarction, and individual arrhythmic contractions (extrasystoles) into fatal types of arrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation).
It is clear that not everyone who drinks alcohol dies from cardiac arrest. The heart is affected in 54% of alcohol drinkers. This is of course not 100% (as for example for liver damage), but more than half. In general, the risk of developing a fatal arrhythmia in people who drink alcohol is doubled, and tripled if the person already has a heart condition.
Alcohol causes cardiovascular diseases at a fairly early age; already at the age of 35-40, people who regularly drink alcohol begin to experience signs of hypertension, notice interruptions in the functioning of the heart, or unpleasant tingling sensations, all this due to the fact that the heart under the influence of alcohol noticeably weakens, becomes covered fat and distilling blood around the clock it becomes increasingly difficult for it, hence heart attacks and strokes, which often lead to premature death, of people at a fairly young and productive age. American cardiologists use the terms “holiday” or “spring” heart, since disorders usually occur after weekends and holidays.
Today, discussions continue among experts regarding safe and toxic doses of alcohol.
It was decided to take 10 ml of ethanol as a conventional unit. At the same time, the type of alcoholic drink is not as important for the body as the absolute amount of ethanol consumed.
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) consider relatively safe daily doses of alcohol to be 25 ml of ethanol for healthy men and 12 ml for healthy women. But at the same time, it is noted that it is undesirable to drink alcohol every day, as well as take it on an empty stomach.
Safe doses of alcohol per day for an adult (over 21 years old):
for men:
vodka – 80 ml
natural wine – 300 ml
beer – 750 ml
for women:
vodka – 40 ml
natural wine – 150 ml
beer – 350-370 ml
Attention!
Individual safe doses of alcohol can vary by 2-3 times. Therefore, it is very important to take into account a person’s constitution, age, presence of chronic diseases and existing health problems.
People with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver should not drink alcohol.
Absolute contraindication – pregnancy