How heavy drinking affects vital organs of the body

Is it hard for you to put down the bottle of drinks? Are you suffering from heavy drinking? It’s a known fact that heavy drinking is harmful and can be fatal to your body. But do you know how heavy drinking affects your vital organs and increase the risk of death?

Here’s how heavy drinking affects your vital organs | Know all about it

Drinking heavily leads to uncontrolled absorption of iron into the body, putting strain on vital organs, especially the cardiovascular system and increasing the risk of death, according to a study.

“Iron loading puts strain on especially the cardiovascular system through oxidisation, which can cause damage to cells, proteins and DNA,” said Rudolph Schutte from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, looked at health outcomes in 877 women in sub-Saharan Africa over a median follow-up time of nine years.

The results showed that levels of ferritin, a blood marker of the extent of body iron loading, were higher in drinkers than non-drinkers.

“The link between iron and mortality has been disputed for around 30 years, but this study is the first to investigate the significance of the interaction between iron loading and alcohol intake,” Schutte said.

What is iron loading?

Iron loading is when the regulation of iron in the body is compromised by alcohol consumption, leading to more of it being absorbed.
It can cause health issues such as heart attacks, liver disease and diabetes.

The study found that higher levels of ferritin and its statistical interaction with alcohol in these subjects predicted all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

This means that the prognostic significance of iron loading depends on alcohol consumption, researchers said.

Heath risks of heavy drinking

There are several serious health conditions linked to heavy drinking. Some of the health risks are dementia, anaemia, cancer, cardiovascular problems, cirhosis, depressions and diabetes.