Does beer dilate or constrict blood vessels? How much alcohol is in beer? The effect of alcohol on blood vessels

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

There is an opinion that for hypertension, doctors recommend drinking beer. It is believed that this drink expands the lumen of the arteries, which helps to reduce pressure. Is it so? Does beer expand or constrict blood vessels? Can doctors really advise drinking alcohol? What is the general effect of alcohol on blood vessels?

The answers to all these questions can be found in the article. It is worth noting that sooner or later, lovers of an intoxicating drink will have to think about how to make beer at home. Because it is this kind of alcohol that will cause the least harm to the body.

The effect of a foamy drink on blood vessels

So does beer expand or constrict blood vessels? Of course, like any other alcohol, an intoxicating drink makes the vessels wider, and theoretically the pressure should drop, since all arteries, capillaries and veins expand, this reduces the pressure on their walls. Plus, beer is also a diuretic, and the release of excess fluid also reduces pressure.

But unfortunately, practical experiments givesomewhat different results. The pressure drops, but not more than 8 millimeters of mercury, and this is if you drink no more than half a liter of intoxicating drink. But the further use of a low-alcohol drink can ruin everything. Since the vessels will expand even more, but the heart rate will increase. This means that the blood will run through the vessels at a higher speed, respectively, the pressure will begin to jump up and down.

So the answer to the question whether beer dilates blood vessels or narrows is found, but there is little sense from this. In addition, the pressure can start to rise too quickly due to kidney dysfunction, especially at the time of the active stage of inflammation. After all, this organ is directly involved in the regulation of blood pressure. So in the end it turns out that the beer increases the pressure.

Consequences of drinking too much beer

Expands or constricts beer blood vessels, already figured out, but are there any other consequences for blood vessels? Of course there is:

1. The intoxicating drink has an antispasmodic effect, which negatively affects the walls of blood vessels. To be more precise, the risk of their thinning increases significantly.
2. With regular use of hops, the likelihood of cholesterol plaques is almost 100%. Beer contains a lot of m altose, which later becomes glucose. If its level becomes excessively high, then microcracks form on the inside of the vessel walls, and this is an ideal place for the accumulation of cholesterol. So the statement that foam cleanses the vessels,turned out to be wrong.
3. Natural beer in small amounts improves elasticity. But this is if you do not abuse it. If you exceed the consumption rate, then the walls will simply become thinner. Which, in turn, can lead to breaks, and, accordingly, to a stroke or heart attack.
4. Beer significantly reduces the body's production of arginine-vasopressin, and it is this substance that has a very strong effect on water-s alt metabolism. This explains the desire to go to the toilet after one small glass of beer.

It becomes clear that the effect of alcohol on blood vessels is sharply negative.

Alcohol and cerebral vessels

If you believe the statistics, then, judging by the studies, people who often drink alcohol are four to five times more likely to suffer from damage to the vessels of the brain. They are more susceptible to such a disease as atherosclerosis of the brain. This disease in drinking citizens occurs in a more severe form and deals a strong blow to the psyche.

The same goes for stroke. It is alcohol that significantly increases the risk of both ischemic stroke, in which a certain vessel is clogged, and hemorrhagic, in which cerebral hemorrhage occurs. Alcohol abusers are twice as likely to have another stroke. From all of the above, it becomes clear that beer has a negative effect on the vessels of the brain.

Effect of alcohol on the vascular system

1. Those who like to consume a foamy drink daily have a high risk of damage to the centers of the brain, due to whichregulation of vascular tone. Here is the answer to the question of why the vessels narrow. After all, at some point they simply lose their ability to expand.
2. vegetative reactions are very likely to be disturbed.
3. The activity of the organs of the endocrine system is disrupted.

All these changes lead to a hypertensive crisis. Or, as mentioned above, due to a decrease in tone, blood flow slows down and an ischemic stroke occurs.

Due to the frequent use of beer or any other alcohol, the walls of blood vessels become permeable, and this steadily leads to swelling of the brain. The level of blood clotting increases. Red blood cells are under the influence of toxins, which disrupts their participation in gas exchange. The danger of beer also lies in the fact that s alty spicy snacks are most often consumed under it. And such food also contributes to the appearance of a hypertensive crisis.

Regular consumption of a foamy drink negatively affects the functioning of the liver, which, in turn, disrupts metabolism. This also adversely affects the reactivity of the cerebral vessels. All alcohol-addicted people suffer from a lack of B vitamins, because of this, adrenergic receptors malfunction in the body, which often leads to vascular paresis and blood stasis.

More subtle studies of the brain of a man who died from alcohol intoxication were carried out. Changes in nerve cells at the level of the nucleus and protoplasm were revealed. Exactly the same changes occur when poisoned by any strongpoison. It is worth noting that the cerebral cortex in such a situation has more damage than the subcortex. This can only mean one thing - alcohol destroys the cells of higher centers much more than the lower ones.

What happens to the brain of a drunk person

When a person is in a normal state, there is a special coating on the surface of red blood cells. It is electrified by friction against the wall of the vessel. Any red blood cell has a unipolar negative discharge, so during movement they "bounce" from each other. Any alcohol, even beer, is an excellent solvent. It completely destroys the protective layer and relieves stress. That is, erythrocytes cease to repel and begin to actively stick together, forming blood clots. And the more you drink, the larger these formations become.

The human brain contains more than fifteen billion neurons. Each nerve cell has its own thinnest microcapillary. Through it, erythrocytes seep into the cell one at a time. If an accumulation of erythrocytes approaches it, then they clog the entrance, thereby blocking the access of blood to the neuron. A cell without access to red blood cells dies in less than ten minutes.

Since the access of oxygen becomes limited, oxygen starvation of the brain occurs, it is called "hypoxia". This is what is considered harmless intoxication. But it's not so harmless. To begin with, certain parts of the brain become numb, and then die off altogether. And alcoholics see it as an opportunity to relax and forget about problems.

In fact, such euphoria is caused by the fact that most of the brain simply does not work and it is not able to objectively perceive all the information. Most often, it is negative information that is rejected. As creepy as it sounds, a person gets pleasure from drinking beer at a time when his brain is dying. Even after a small drink, a lot of dead neurons appear in the head.

When a pathologist performs an autopsy on a person who has abused alcohol, he discovers a brain that is much smaller than it should be, on its surface there are ulcers, scars and even loss of entire structures.

During the autopsy, it often becomes clear that it is the brain that suffers most from alcohol. The hard shell is in tension, and the soft shell is overflowing with blood, and even swollen. Most of the vessels are excessively dilated. Also in the brain is a large number of microcysts, 1-2 mm. Their appearance is promoted by hemorrhages and necrosis of the brain. The worst thing is that it is not necessary to abuse every day for the pathologist to find such a picture, it is also typical for moderate drinkers.

The effect of beer on other organs

How does beer affect the body as a whole? And here the answer is also disappointing. All internal organs suffer from any, even weak alcohol. Here are the most dangerous consequences.

Kidney failure

The use of an intoxicating drink contributes to the violation of the water-s alt balance, the regulator of which is precisely the kidneys. When abused beer they just stopcope. In some cases, this develops into pyelonephritis, in others - into urolithiasis.

Liver failure

Ethyl alcohol, which is necessarily present in beer, is excreted from the body through the liver. It's no secret that alcohol is a toxin, it is he who leads to the destruction of liver cells.

Heart failure

As the heart rate increases sharply under the influence of alcohol, the density of muscle fibers decreases. Most often, this leads to disruption of the sinus node or microinfarction. It also provokes the "beer heart" syndrome.

Harm to the pancreas

The load on this organ increases sharply when drinking a foamy drink. Its main task is the production of insulin, with the help of which glucose is oxidized and absorbed. When drinking beer, the amount of sugar in the blood rises, this can lead to fibrosis of the gland tissue, from which the hormone is produced in much smaller quantities.

As mentioned above, drinking beer negatively affects the central nervous system. Nerve cells are destroyed and cannot be regenerated. Also, a foamy drink can cause atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels.

Obesity

The intoxicating drink is very rich in m altose, which the human body processes into glucose, but practically does not consume it. Naturally, this leads to an increase in body fat mass. Moreover, atthe constant use of alcohol is at high risk of a sharp drop in vision, this is due to high pressure in the eyeball. The neural connection between nerve cells is deteriorating, and this negatively affects the sensitivity of the optic nerve.

Beer is a drink that is known and loved all over the world. The first mention of it is associated with Ancient Egypt. At the moment, this drink can be found in any supermarket in any country, with the exception of states that have a dry law.

In order to understand what kind of beer is good in Russia, you need to try many brands. But still, not a single purchased drink can be compared with the one made by one's own hands.

Homemade frothy drink

There is an opinion that before you can make beer at home, you need to get a home brewery. But it is not so. For this process, kitchen utensils, which are in every home, are also suitable. For example, a large pot. What's more, it's much easier for homebrewers these days to have both hop cones and m alt in stores.

Before you brew beer, you need to pick up a recipe. After all, the range of foamy drinks is quite diverse, and there can also be a great variety of related ingredients.

If you are preparing a classic drink, then you need to prepare only yeast, hops, m alt and water. If you do not deviate from the recipe, strictly observe all the pauses, then the homemade drink will delight you with a thick consistency and a chic foamy cap. The main advantage of homehoppy drink is that it does not go through filtration and pasteurization, that is, its taste will be real, lively, without the taste of preservatives. Moreover, only natural ingredients are used for its production, which is why the use of this drink in moderate doses will not cause much harm to the body.

How to brew beer at home

Beer brewing can be called an art, which is why not everyone dares to make an intoxicating drink at home. In general, it is much easier to look into the supermarket and buy a couple of bottles of beer than to bother with its preparation.

In order to brew a classic foamy drink, you need four ingredients: hops, m alt, water and brewer's yeast.

An important point: you should not save on yeast. They need to be bought in a specialized store, since the outcome of such an important event depends on this ingredient. It is better, of course, if the yeast is beer, but it is not always possible to find them. Then you can use the usual ones. The main thing is that they are dry and alive. M alt and hops, of course, can be made on your own, but the process is quite laborious and long. So it's better to use the purchased ones too.

If light beer is being brewed, then you need regular naturally dried m alt. For dark beer, a little more caramel m alt is added to ordinary m alt, which is dried in the oven. M alt is dried unpeeled barley that is used as a natural filter. It has white color, sweetish taste and pleasant smell. These grains do not sink. Before using barleyground with a roller mill, which leaves the husk intact.

The next ingredient is hops. All its varieties can be conditionally divided into two types: fragrant and bitter. Here you need to choose the one that suits your taste. The main thing is the quality of the product, the density of beer will depend on it. Hop cones should be yellowish and reddish.

Water should be used soft and purified, preferably spring water, although purchased water is also suitable. In extreme cases, you can just take boiled water, but if the water is tasteless, then the beer will be, to put it mildly, not very good, and all efforts will go down the drain.

There is one more ingredient - sugar. There are 8 grams of sand per liter of beer. It saturates the drink with carbon dioxide. It can be replaced with glucose or honey. This will be enough to cook a quality, tasty product.

Beer Gravity Chart

Why is the density of a foamy drink important? Because it directly affects the taste of beer. The higher it is, the more tart, richer the drink will be, and the taste and aroma will be filled with m alt shades.

When the density of beer is low, the drink becomes light and "drinkable", a glass of such intoxicating can be drunk in one gulp.

High-density varieties are great for a hearty meal, while lighter varieties are great for quenching your thirst.

Yeast converts solids into ethyl alcohol. In order to calculate how much alcohol is in beer, use a special tabledensity and alcohol content.