Alcohol and Health: Here’s Why Alcohol is Toxic
Alcohol is a cellular toxin that is broken down by the liver, damaging this vital organ and the nervous system and is associated with around 200 negative health consequences. High WHO (external link) The ethanol it contains causes cancer when broken down in the body, which is why “every alcoholic beverage, regardless of price and quality, is associated with a risk of cancer.”
“The assessment is very clear: there is no such thing as good alcohol. Even if – and the studies are scarce – alcohol reduces the risk of some diseases in rare cases, it causes even more damage elsewhere. So you may be minimally more protected against heart disease, but the risk of cancer is much higher,” says Margrit Richter from the DGE.
Why the alcohol advisory was renewed
Florian Eyer, toxicologist at the University Hospital of the Technical University of Munich, explains why the potentially health-promoting properties of alcohol have been reviewed: “In red wine, in the components of the skin of red wine grapes, associations have been found that certain diseases such as dementia, hardening of the arteries or even heart attack rates can be lower. Epidemiological studies have taken a closer look and found that there is no such causality that would allow a moderate amount of alcohol consumption to lead to a reduced risk of dementia to specify a certain threshold, above which it becomes dangerous.”
Alcohol: This is how much Germans drink compared to the EU
When compared across Europe, alcohol consumption in Germany is above average. Dem Alcohol Atlas Germany 2022 (external link) According to the study, 16% of men and 11% of women consumed risky amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis. After nicotine and medication, alcohol is the most addictive drug in Germany.
Alcohol in Bavaria: Too much alcohol in old age
In a comparison between the federal states, Bavaria leads in alcohol consumption among women and is in the upper range among men. Alcohol consumption has decreased among young people, but binge drinking is common. Among people aged 65 and over in Bavaria, around 17 percent of men and around 12 percent of women are at risk of becoming dependent on alcohol. A survey also showed that elderly people in Bavaria drink a lot of alcohol.that the Ministry of Health had carried out.
Alcohol and sport: alcohol slows down physical fitness
Alcohol also has a negative effect on physical fitness: “Sport and alcohol don’t mix. Cardiovascular fitness suffers under the influence of alcohol – and regular and excessive consumption is associated with restrictions such as a hangover the next day,” says Florian Eyer.