Beer Drinking: Long-Term Effects And Your Health

Beer is a popular alcoholic drink worldwide, but its consumption, especially in large amounts, can have adverse effects on your health. While some studies have linked moderate drinking to improved heart health and increased bone density, drinking beer every day can have both immediate and long-term effects on your body and brain.

The immediate effects of drinking beer include lowered inhibitions, drowsiness, euphoria, slowed or slurred speech, changes in hearing, vision, and perception, loss of coordination, trouble focusing or making decisions, and loss of consciousness or memory gaps. These effects can contribute to accidents, injuries, and impulsive decisions.

Long-term effects of excessive beer consumption include a higher risk of hypertension, hemorrhagic stroke, weakened immune system, learning and memory problems, job-related issues, and alcohol use disorders. Beer drinking can also cause weight gain and obesity, which are the root causes of many health issues. Additionally, it can lead to liver disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and high blood pressure.

Drinking beer can also disrupt your sleep, slow down your weight loss efforts, cause digestive issues, dehydration, and increase your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias

Long-term beer drinking can lead to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, which is a condition where the heart changes shape due to heavy alcohol consumption. This occurs when the heart's muscles stretch and enlarge, weakening the heart muscle and reducing its ability to pump blood effectively. This results in a reduced oxygen supply to the body and can lead to heart failure and other severe problems.

The toxic effects of alcohol can also cause scar tissue to form in the heart, leading to potentially life-threatening arrhythmias or irregular heart rhythms. Arrhythmias can also be caused by the disruption of the heart's electrical system due to changes in its shape.

In addition to long-term effects, there are also acute or short-term problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption, such as "holiday heart syndrome," which is a disruption in heart rhythm caused by drinking large quantities of alcohol in a short period. This can lead to atrial fibrillation or ventricular fibrillation, both of which are life-threatening conditions.

To reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related heart problems, it is recommended to limit alcohol intake to no more than 7 drinks per week for women and no more than 14 drinks per week for men. Abstaining from alcohol is the best way to prevent and treat alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy.

High blood pressure

Drinking beer can have both acute and chronic effects on blood pressure. Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, your healthcare professional may ask you to cut back on drinking.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women for people who choose to drink alcohol. Generally, one drink equals:

• 12-ounce beer (5% alcohol)
• 8-ounce malt liquor (7% alcohol)
• 5-ounce glass of wine (12% alcohol)
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor

Drinking excessive alcohol is considered one of the most common causes of raised blood pressure.

Liver disease

Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is caused by drinking too much alcohol. The liver breaks down alcohol, but if you drink more than it can process, it can become badly damaged. ARLD is common in the UK and the number of people with the condition has been increasing over the last few decades due to rising levels of alcohol misuse.

There are three types of alcohol-associated liver disease:

• Steatotic (fatty) liver: This is the most common alcohol-induced liver problem. It is caused by a build-up of fat inside the liver cells, which leads to an enlarged liver. Fatty liver disease rarely causes any symptoms, but it is a warning sign that you are drinking at a harmful level.
• Acute hepatitis: Alcohol-associated hepatitis is an acute inflammation of the liver. There is death of liver cells, often followed by permanent scarring.
• Cirrhosis: Alcohol-associated cirrhosis is the destruction of normal liver tissue, leaving scar tissue in its place. In this situation, the liver may stop working correctly.

The effects of alcohol on the liver depend on how much and how long you have been drinking. Symptoms of ARLD include:

• Yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
• Swelling in the ankles and tummy
• Confusion or drowsiness
• Vomiting blood or passing blood in your stools

The most important part of ARLD treatment is to stop drinking alcohol completely. With complete alcohol avoidance and time, the liver can often heal some of the damage caused by alcohol, allowing the individual to return to a normal life. However, a liver transplant may be needed in some cases.

Pancreatitis

Excessive consumption of any alcoholic beverage can promote the onset of pancreatitis, but beer appears to be the most dangerous form of alcohol for the pancreas. This is because, unlike other forms of alcohol, beer directly encourages the release of chemicals called enzymes inside the pancreas. The elevated presence of these enzymes increases the odds that the gland will become inflamed.

Heavy drinking is the single most important risk factor for chronic pancreatitis, responsible for between 70-80% of cases in Western Europe. Regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week increases the risk of developing chronic pancreatitis. The most common symptom is repeated episodes of severe abdominal pain, typically located below the ribs and through to the back. Other symptoms can include greasy, floating, and foul-smelling bowel motions, and the yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice).

Chronic pancreatitis due to alcohol most commonly develops in men aged 30-40 who are long-term heavy drinkers. Many people who develop alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis have a history of recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis. In people with genetic or autoimmune causes of chronic pancreatitis, the disease may develop at a younger age and without any alcohol consumption.

If you have chronic pancreatitis, you must stop drinking alcohol completely. This includes avoiding any 'alcohol-free' drinks, as these can contain up to 0.5% ABV. The pancreas will be unable to work properly, and any alcohol can make the condition worse, causing more damage to the pancreas. Damage from chronic pancreatitis can be irreversible.

Alcohol dependency

People with alcohol dependency often need to drink more to get the same effect, and they may prioritise drinking over other activities or obligations, such as work or family life. They may also continue drinking despite harmful consequences, such as liver disease or depression.

The risk of developing health problems increases the more a person drinks on a regular basis. Alcohol dependency can lead to cancers of the mouth, throat, and breast, as well as other serious medical conditions including bowel cancer, breast cancer, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary alcohol-related heart disease. Prolonged heavy drinking can also damage the liver, with seven out of ten people with alcoholic liver disease having an alcohol dependency problem.

To reduce the risk of becoming alcohol-dependent, it is important to take regular breaks from drinking and keep alcohol consumption below the recommended limits: no more than 14 units of alcohol per week for both men and women.

Frequently asked questions