Regret having one too many over Christmas? You should! Experts reveal the chilling effect alcohol is having on millions of us
- Alcohol linked with 5 cancers: liver, mouth and throat, oesophageal, breast and bowel
- Liquor weakens the immune system, leading to more chest infections
- It ages people and exacerbates skin problems like rosacea and psoriasis
- Re-wires the brain so people feel stressed, depressed and lousy
'Tis the season to be merry, and many of us take this quite literally.
With Christmas parties and celebrations with friends and family, consumption of alcohol increases by 40 per cent in December, according to addictions charity Addaction.
This not only causes tantrums, tears and office gossip, but also a spike in drink-driving related accidents and suicides.
But many of us are drinking far too much on a regular basis.
More than a quarter of all adults drink over the recommended amount of alcohol, 14 units a week for women and 21 for men, according to the latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
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Experts warn drinking too much on a regular basis can have serious and irreversible effects on the body
One unit is the equivalent of one 25ml single measure of whisky, a third of a pint of beer, or half a 175ml glass of wine.
And rather than men, it’s middle-class professional women aged 45 to 64 who are now drinking the most, risking serious and irreversible effects on the body, experts warn.
A glass of wine a night doesn't seem like much, but a standard 175ml serving contains 2.3 units of alcohol, adding up to 16.1 units over the course of a week - and putting women over the safe drinking limits.
From damaging the heart muscle and re-wiring the brain to causing falls, fractures and infertility, here experts explain the sobering truth about drinking to excess...
INFERTILITY AND MISCARRIAGE
Alcohol can affect a man's performance in the bedroom, as it causes temporary erectile dysfunction.
In the long term, it reduces testosterone levels, leading to a loss of libido and is toxic to the testes, which harms sperm while they're being produced or stops them reaching the egg.
Excessive alcohol consumption results the testicles shrinking, leading to impotence, growth of breasts and thinning body hair.
Drinking makes women less fertile too, although it is not fully understood why, according to the British Fertility Society.
It causes imbalances in hormones that control reproduction, and even small amounts can affect a woman's periods and reduce the chance of conceiving.
Even small amounts of alcohol can affect a woman's periods and reduce the chance of conceiving. Long-term heavy drinking can cause women to have irregular periods or stop ovulating, and even early menopause
One Danish study showed drinking between one and five drinks a week can reduce a women’s chances of conceiving, and 10 drinks or more decreases the likelihood of conception even further.
A 2009 study done at Harvard University of couples undergoing IVF showed that women who drank more than six units per week were 18 per cent less likely to conceive, while men were 14 per cent less likely.
Long-term heavy drinking can cause women to have irregular periods or stop ovulating, or they can stop altogether and she can have an early menopause.
Heavy drinkers who do become pregnant are more likely to have a miscarriage.
MOUTH, THROAT, OESOPHAGUS, LIVER, BOWEL AND BREAST CANCER
There is good evidence drinking alcohol increases the risk of five types of cancer, according to Professor Linda Bauld, of UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies and a cancer prevention champion at Cancer Research UK
Next year, Britain's Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies will change the guidelines on the recommended number of units of alcohol men and women can drink a week.
'The recommendations are confidential and will be unveiled next year. But we suspect they will be lowered.
'This is because of accumulative evidence that alcohol causes cancer.'
KEEP OFF THE BOOZE FOR TWO DAYS A WEEK, SAYS HEALTH BOSS
The new figures come as Britain's top doctor is set to welcome in the new year with a warning not to drink more than three halves of beer at a time and still take two days off drinking a week.
The recommended safe drinking limits for men are expected to be slashed to match the advice given to women.
The new guidelines from Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies are expected to recommend the safe drinking limit for men be set at just two to three units - which would suggest routinely drinking just one large glass of wine with dinner or two pints of bitter after work would take men to levels over the limit.
Three units for five days is likely to breach an expected 14 unit 'safe' limit for the week.
NHS advice already states drinkers should abstain for two days if they have a heavy session.
Recommended limits for women are already set at this level and are not expected to change.
Alcohol as we know it is in the form of wine, beer and spirits but broken down into its basic form it is ethanol.
When this is broken down in the liver and a toxic substance called acetaldehyde is produced.
'Acetaldehyde causes damage to the DNA of cells,' Professor Bauld explains. 'That damage is more likely to make cells cancerous.'
For example in the liver, acetaldehyde causes liver cells to grow faster than normal.
Cells that regenerate more often are more likely to pick up changes in their genes that lead to cancer.
Alcohol also reacts with other chemicals that causes cancer, such as tobacco smoke, which acts as a solvent, allowing alcohol to be absorbed more quickly, damaging the cells.
And it increases the likelihood of the disease another way, by changing levels of sex hormones, including oestrogen, in the body.
'We see very clear links between heavy drinking and breast cancer. There is a risk for women who drink regularly full stop,' she said.
Alcohol changes vitamin and mineral levels in the body, lowering folate levels, which leads to bowel cancer.
'A deficiency in minerals causes changes to cells and changes the lining of the bowel,' Professor Bauld said.
Professor Nick Sheron, head of clinical hepatology at the University of Southampton, said many people do not know about the link between alcohol and breast cancer.
The amount that a person would need to drink to increase their risk is not as large as some people might think, he said.
'A bottle of wine a week will raise the risk of breast cancer by 10 per cent,' he told MailOnline.
Alcohol increases the risk of throat and oesophageal cancer because it damages cells' DNA, making them more likely to incur mutations that lead to tumours. Pictured is an animation of an oesophageal tumour
Alcohol is like a fat and has the same amount of calories as the equivalent weight of butter, Professor Sheron said.
'For example, a litre of vodka has the same calories as a litre of whipped cream.'
Alcohol is metabolised in the same way as cream, and as it is broken down fat is laid down in the liver cells.
Therefore everyone who drink regularly ends up with fatty liver, which stops the organ functioning properly.
Alcohol is like a fat and has the same amount of calories as the equivalent weight of butter
A proportion of people develop scarring, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis, where the liver becomes irreversibly damaged, he said.
'A third of people have the genetic background which leads to cirrhosis. The exact mechanism by which the liver becomes scarred is not known.'
Being obese also leads to cirrhosis, but the liver damage is seen in a much shorter time frame in people who drink too much.
'But in obesity it would take 40-50 years, whereas through drinking alcohol the damage is done in a much shorter time frame,' Professor Sheron said.
With liver disease, the damage is linear, it increases the more units a person drinks.
'The alcoholics I see drink an average of 120 to 150 units a week,' he continued. 'They get cirrhosis.'
The peak age for dying of cirrhosis is 40, he added.
A minority of heavy drinkers and moderate drinkers also develop alcoholic hepatitis, where chemicals created as a result of processing alcohol in the liver injure the livers' cells, Professor Sheron said.
This injury leads to inflammation and alcoholic hepatitis.
'They go bright yellow,' he said.
He stresses the idea that alcohol addiction is something that happens to 'other people.
He said: 'People misunderstand alcohol dependency. It's more helpful to think of it as a spectrum.
'At first, you can't go on a Friday night without having a few drinks. Then, alcohol becomes more and more important. You find it hard to go on a Monday without a drink.
'Then it becomes more important than your job, your friends, your family.'
He gave a stark warning about the damage alcohol does to the liver.
He said: 'Liver disease is the second biggest killer of working women in terms of years of life lost. And the third biggest killer in men. 80 per cent of these deaths are alcohol-related.'
Drinking to excess causes fat to be laid down in the liver. Eventually this leads to scarring known as cirrhosis. People with cirrhosis typically only live until 40 years old
Heavy drinkers tend to get more chest infections and pneumonia as the are poorly nourished, Professor Sheron added.
This is because liquor weakens the immune system, making becoming ill more likely.
A Danish study found men who drank more than 50 drinks a week were 80 per cent more likely to be taken to hospital with pneumonia than those who indulged in up to six drinks a week, after taking into account factors like smoking and weight.
People who drink alcohol also aspirate, breathing in stomach acid, food or drink from the gastrointestinal tract into the voice box.
'There are many rockstar fatalities due to people inhaling their own vomit,' he said.
We've all woken up after a heavy night out still wearing last night's make up.
But forgetting to use a face wipe isn't the reason drinking leaves us spotty and grey, the alcohol itself has a direct affect.
'Heavy drinkers ages you. If you stop drinking you will look better,' Professor Sheron continued.
This is because of its diuretic effect. It causes the body and, the skin in turn, to become dehydrated far more easily. This has both an instant and long-term effect on skin and hair.
Dehydration causes skin to become dry and hair to become brittle. Excessive alcohol consumption also depletes iron levels which can exacerbate a pale, lifeless complexion and hair loss.
Lymph fluid leaking from enlarged blood vessels into tissue can cause the face to become puffy.
Dehydration from by alcohol causes skin to become dry and hair to become brittle. Excessive alcohol consumption also depletes iron levels which can exacerbate a pale, lifeless complexion and hair loss
Because alcohol can sap the body of Vitamin C and A, the skin also becomes less resilient to environmental causes of ageing such as the sun and pollution.
This is because lowered levels of these vitamins lead to less collagen being produced - which makes our skin look plump and youthful.
Heavy drinking also affects the skin because alcohol robs us of B Vitamins. Alcoholics often develop skin rashes that could resemble eczema from such deficiencies.
Skin is also much more prone to becoming red and blotchy. This is because alcohol dilates the blood vessels. Many people who suffer from the flushing condition rosacea find that they become red-cheeked if they drink.
Eventually, the blood vessels can burst leaving people with permanently red cheeks or the notorious 'drinker's nose'.
And regular drinking thins the skin, meaning blood vessels are more visible closer to the surface.
This is why chronic alcohol abuse often shows itself in dark circles under the eyes
Alcohol has been linked with depression, anxiety, and a host of other mental health problems. Around 30 per cent of suicide is alcohol-related
After a few drinks, our shyness and sadness seems to slip away and we become a happier, louder, confident version of ourselves.
But few of us realise that getting into this state regularly can actually re-wire the brain, leaving us feeling even worse than before.
Regular drinking has been linked with depression, anxiety, and a host of other mental health problems.
Almost a third of suicide is alcohol-related.
And research by NHS Scotland shows more than half of people who ended up in hospital because they had deliberately injured themselves said they had drunk alcohol immediately before or while doing it.
Some 27 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women gave alcohol as the reason for self-harming.
Alcohol affects every system of the body and can change the brain irreversibly, according to Anne Lingford-Hughes, a Professor of Addiction Biology at Imperial College London.
It effects the brain by changing neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that transmit signals throughout the body that cause processes in the body, behaviours and emotions.
Alcohol affects the glutamate and GABA neurotransmitters, Professor Lingford-Hughes said.
Glutamate increases brain activity and boosts energy. When suppressed, the brain’s motorways become slower.
Alcohol can re-wire the brain, making people feel stressed, depressed and lousy, one expert said (file photo)
Meanwhile, it increases production of GABA, the neurotransmitter associated with lowering anxiety, feeling calm and going to sleep.
This means thought, speech and movements will be slowed down as different parts of the brain cannot co-ordinate, which is why we slur our words, fail to pick up on social signals, can't make decisions and fall over chairs
Professor Lingford-Hughes said: ‘If someone has a seizure or is epileptic - it’s the ying and yang, the GABA and the glutamate, not working together in the brain.
‘It’s the same with alcohol. Bits of your brain won’t work well together. The brain’s motorways are slowed.’
‘When you make a decision you integrate information about the risks, memory, integrated process the brain. Alcohol slows down the communication
Some 27 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women gave alcohol as the reason for self-harming
Cleverly, while slowing down the glutamate/GABA system, alcohol also affects the mew/kappa system.
The brain’s mew system increases the amount of dopamine in the organ.
Dopamine is the ‘pleasure’ hormone associated with reward, and is responsible for the euphoric feeling.
A rush of dopamine is released after being promoted, taking drugs like cocaine, eating sugar and falling in love.
But it is also linked to addiction, as the person keeps drinking more and more in order to feel the same dopamine release as the body becomes tolerant.
However, soon after alcohol causes the release dopamine – the brain’s Kappa system kicks in, Professor Lingford-Hughes said.
‘The Kappa system is not nice, it’s the “nasty system”’, she said.
‘It’s there to stop dopamine being released and reduce pleasure.
‘That may drive during alcohol withdrawal- people feel stressed.’
Drinking regularly changes dynamic between the mew and kappa systems, and the adverse system becomes dominant, she warned.
This leaves people feeling stressed, depressed and feeling lousy.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART PROBLEMS
Alcohol is a toxin and is directly toxic to the heart muscle cells, Dr Klaus Witte, a cardiologist at Leeds General Infirmary told MailOnline.
If a person drinks their heart cells die and sometimes fibrous tissue forms in its place which cannot contract as well.
They develop alcohol-related cardio myopathy, where the heart muscle becomes weak and thin and is unable to pump blood around the body, depriving tissues of oxygen.
This results in shortness of breath, tiredness, an irregular heartbeat and swelling in the legs and feet.
In severe cases, it can lead to heart failure.
Dr Witte continued: 'The heart has an amazing ability to repair itself, but if you regularly drink, you will damage your heart.'
How much a person needs to drink and on what basis depends on their genetics, on how sensitive their body is to ethanol.
'The heart has an amazing ability to repair itself, but if you regularly drink, you will damage your heart,' said Dr Klaus Witte. This is because alcohol is directly poisonous to heart cells
But across populations, drinking more than 14 units a week for women and 21 units for men will cause damage to heart cells.
There's also such a thing as 'holiday heart syndrome' - where a person goes on holiday and binge drinks and comes back with atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.
This can happen even to people who are extremely fit, Dr Witte said.
He said: 'When I was working in Wales I saw many Welsh rugby players who drank 16 pints a night and then they'd wake up with atrial fibrillation.
'It's not very common - if everyone who went to Ibiza came back with this problem they wouldn't do it - but it does happen.'
And the end result is the same between binge drinking and steady drinking, he said.
Binge drinking increases the likelihood of high blood pressure, as the blood vessels stiffen, causing the pressure inside the veins and arteries to rise.
It also triggers the release of certain stress hormones that constrict the blood vessels.
Having high blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.
Drinking also affects people's sleep, which further raises blood pressure.
Dr Witte said: 'Alcohol stops you sleeping properly, your more likely to snore. This obstruction or lack of ventilation, causes stress hormones to be released.
They develop alcohol-related cardio myopathy, where the heart muscle becomes weak and thin and is unable to pump blood around the body, depriving tissues of oxygen. This results in shortness of breath, tiredness, an irregular heartbeat and swelling in the legs and feet.
'Levels of adrenaline and noradrenalin are higher. They are bad for the heart. They cause the heart to pump faster, blood supply to be greater, stimulating high blood pressure.'
'Alcohol may blunt the sleep associated drop in blood pressure, so you don’t get the night time rest. The arteries don’t get their rest.'
And people who are out drinking tend to have a more unhealthy lifestyle generally, Dr Witte said.
Drinking can lead to weight gain and obesity, which puts further strain on the heart.
Dr Witte said: 'Being hungover and drinking loads of coffee is a stimulant too, you're trying to compensate for tiredness. You're hitting your heart on all fronts.'
He conceded there are studies which show a glass of red wine a day can protect the heart.
However, he said this is thought to be due to ingredient in the wine called flavonoids.
These flavonoids can be found in teas, which would offer protection without the risks of drinking a substance that is toxic to heart cells, he said.
Heavy drinking on a regular basis has been found to double the risk of kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
The kidneys filter toxins and waste products from the blood, but alcohol changes the kidneys so they are less able to carry out this function.
The organs also keep the right amount of water in the body by regulating levels of salts in the blood and its pH.
Drinking also leads to high blood pressure, which is a common cause of kidney disease. More than two drinks a day can increase your chance of having high blood pressure
Alcohol dehydrates the body, and the lack of water can effect how many of the body's organs work.
Drinking also leads to high blood pressure, which is a common cause of kidney disease.
More than two drinks a day increases the chance of having high blood pressure.
Binge drinking can sometimes cause a sudden drop in kidney function known as 'acute kidney injury', as it causes a person's blood alcohol levels to rocket.
When this happens, a person needs dialysis (where they are connected to a machine which filters their blood) - until their kidney function returns to normal.
This usually goes away in time, but in some cases, it can lead to lasting damage.
INFLAMMATION OF THE PANCREAS
The pancreas, a tadpole shaped organ found behind the stomach, sends digestive enzymes to the small intestine to metabolize food.
Drinking regularly increases the likelihood of brittle bones, known medically as osteoporosis, which makes people more likely to suffer fractures
But alcohol disrupts this process, causing the organ to secrete its juices internally.
These substances, as well as acetaldehyde, which is made when alcohol is metabolised, damages the pancreas.
The build up of enzymes will cause inflammation, as well as swelling of tissues and blood vessels.
Symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fast heartbeat and fever.
A person can have a sudden attack (acute pancreatitis) or can suffer from chronic pancreatitis, where drinking slowly breaks down the organ, leading to diabetes and death.
Drinking regularly increases the likelihood of brittle bones, known medically as osteoporosis, as it causes them to become thin and weak, according to Sarah Leyland, senior and helpline manager at the National Osteoporosis Society.
This means people are more likely to break their bones, or their fractures won't heal as well.
'There is a direct affect that alcohol has on bone remodelling,' she told MailOnline.
In the body, there is a normal cycle of bones being built and being broken down and absorbed.
Alcohol upsets this balance by suppressing the bone building cells, called osteoblasts.
'It means you’re getting less bone tissue. They get finer and thinner, lacking an outer shell.
'This happens anyway due to old age, but alcohol causes it too.'
'Fractures are the end point of osteoporosis, your bones break and don't heal as well.'
She added that alcohol intake is one of the main factors doctors consider when they are assessing a person's risk of their bones fracturing.
People who drink alcohol also tend to be malnourished, which can contribute to brittle, weak bones.
Ms Leyland added: 'In older people who are at risk of falling, alcohol can be enjoyable but it makes you unsteady, makes you get up in the night.'
To prevent osteoporosis, she advises eating a well balanced and calcium rich diet, with plenty of vitamin D and exercise.